


sweet girl - ayakashi

by starlightkun



Series: ayakashi [3]
Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Ayakashi, F/M, Mentions of Death, Oni Kun, Violence, alcohol mention, i am once again a whore for qian kun, lowkey sugar daddy kun lmao, mild body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:07:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 54,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26904100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightkun/pseuds/starlightkun
Summary: in which you have to juggle love, friends, school, and a great evil that could destroy your city ; part of the ayakashi series
Relationships: Qian Kun/Reader
Series: ayakashi [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961095
Kudos: 11





	1. [one]

**Author's Note:**

> you have to read the prologue before reading this so you know what the fuck is happening!!

Back at the shrine for the fifth time that week, you listened with rapt attention to Jungwoo’s instructions. You’d been trying to awaken your powers once more with the Tsukumo-gami, controlled scenarios with Wraiths. He would make a charm to attract them, and you would try to fend them off. And with every single one, you’d fail, and Jungwoo would quickly dispel it for you.

“This is useless, Jungwoo,” you huffed, sinking down against a tree at the edge of the clearing. “ _I’m_ useless.”

“No you’re not, Y/N,” Johnny frowned as he jogged over to you, offering a water bottle out to you.

Most of your little squad from the café was there to watch these “training sessions” you had with Jungwoo.

All you could do was scoff in retort, letting your disbelief in his statement be known. Unscrewing the cap, you chugged down half the drink, the air unusually humid that particular day. The grass tickled and pricked at the back of your bare knees, and a piece of bark dug into your spine. Not even the tiniest bit of breeze up in the mountain home of the shrine.

“You said they would come when they’re _needed_ , Jungwoo. With you here protecting me, they’re _not_ needed. Especially not with all these other Ayakashi around as well,” you pointed out to the eldest Ayakashi, gesturing to the figures of Johnny, Taeyong, Sicheng, and Yuta who were there, too.

“You are correct, Lady Onmyoji,” Jungwoo agreed solemnly. “My apologies for holding onto such foolish hopes.”

“Let’s call it for today, then. Grab some lunch back at Lenticular,” Johnny offered to the group, extending a hand down to you.

You accepted it, letting the Domeki pull you back up to a standing position.

Sicheng evaluated the proposal, “If you keep feeding us all for free like this, Renjun’s predictions about your inevitable bankruptcy will come true.”

“Sh! Don’t you want free food?” Yuta elbowed the Mizuchi dragon in the side, earning a hard stare from him.

“I don’t mind, really. Renjun exaggerates our financial woes,” Johnny insisted.

You finished up the rest of your water, crinkling the plastic bottle in your hand as you chugged down the last few drops. As you tightened the lid back on, you cracked your back and contemplated the offer. Might as well.

“Sure, yeah, food sounds great.”

Jungwoo approached you, hands outstretched to take yours, gentle smile on his features as always, “You did well today, Lady Onmyoji. I look forward to the next time you visit the shrine.”

“Yeah, see you, Jungwoo,” you mustered up your best half-smile before quickly dropping his hands. He was just being nice; you didn’t do anything close to well or good today. You failed, as per usual.

The five of you who didn’t live at the shrine departed together, you still stewing in your foul mood and the others doing their best to distract you.

“Y/N, you know what kind of bird that is?”

“Taeyong, that’s a pinecone.”

“Oh, how did you do on that essay you were talking about, Y/N?”

“Well, Yuta, my professor took half off for turning it in one minute late, so I got an F, but thanks for asking.”

You knew you weren’t helping yourself or them whatsoever, so instead all of you just kept your mouths shut for the rest of the walk to Lenticular. The café had been closed the week following the Wraith incident for contractors to work on the pipes, flooring, doors, and walls. Now that everything had been fixed up, you figured the rest would be tidied up and any broken furniture replaced. Once you were all inside the café, the conversation got a bit livelier again, but you didn’t really participate, simply eating your food and sipping your drink.

It was when Johnny came out of the kitchens with a plate of cookies that you reached your breaking point. Not because of Johnny or the cookies, those were a mere coincidence. But you had been letting your bitterness fester for so long that you just _had_ to get out of there. At least for a few minutes.

Not even grabbing a cookie, you stood up the from the booth abruptly, “I’ll be back.”

Then left the café.

Strangely, a particular person came to your mind as you took to Bell Street.

_“You can call me if you need anything.”_

What you really needed was to get away from all this, to forget all of the shit going on with you and your friends. You loved them, truly, but the frustration over your lack of powers and all the high expectations you knew they had of you was suffocating. You just wanted to scream. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be socially acceptable at the moment, on a semi-packed sidewalk in the early evening.

Fuck it.

You held the still-crisp business card between your fingers as your thumb typed in each number, then tucked it back into your phone case before you pressed the call button.

The phone rang four times before being picked up, “Hello, Y/N.”

“Hey, Kun,” you could feel your chest loosen up already.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah—I mean, _eh,_ but that’s not important.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah…” You squeaked out, not even convincing yourself.

You could hear his short intake of breath as if he was about to say something when he was cut off by the sound of a knock on a door, followed by a voice too far away for you to distinguish.

“Oh, just a moment, Y/N,” Kun informed you, then you heard the sounds of presumably him covering the mic with his hand.

The voice was closer this time, muffled, but distinguishable as the person spoke to Kun.

“Just a reminder that you have a meeting in fifteen minutes, Mr. Qian.”

“Yes, thank you, Doyoung.”

Just a moment later, Kun’s voice was clear once more, right back in your ear, “Do you need something?”

Processing what you just heard, and remembering that it was early evening on a Wednesday, you sputtered out, “Oh, never mind, you’re at work, aren’t you? I’m so sorry—”

“You must have heard what Doyoung said, right?”

“Some of it…”

“Like he said, the meeting is in fifteen minutes, not now. That’s fifteen minutes for you. So: Do you need something?”

“Just,” you paused, letting out a short but heavy sigh. “To talk. Everything is _not_ alright.”

“Then talk,” Kun encouraged you.

And so you talked.

“It’s all the guys— my friends—my _Ayakashi_ friends. I’ve been trying to like… I don’t know, _train_ with them, I guess? But I don’t have my powers yet, they haven’t awoken, and—ugh, I can’t even say what I’m thinking right now. I mean, they can all do like really cool things: Jeno’s wings and wind control, Sicheng’s water powers, Renjun can read minds. I can’t do _anything_.”

You stopped, catching your breath after your little rant, and at the uncomfortable silence from Kun’s end, you awkwardly continued, “I mean, _you’re_ an Ayakashi, I’m sure _you’ve_ got really cool powers too.”

“Not particularly.”

His immediate and blunt disagreement caught you off-guard, “What?”

“I’ve got some powers, yes, but nothing like the others you just mentioned. I do have extended longevity, and I’m strong compared to the average human, and… well, I’m rich.”

“That doesn’t come from being an Ayakashi,” you laughed, able to pick up on the jest in his tone. “Trust me, I know some pretty _broke_ Ayakashi.”

“No, you’re right, that particular one comes from being a Qian. But like I was saying, don’t feel bad about not having your powers yet. Once you get them, you’ll be a million times more powerful than me or any other Ayakashi you’ll meet. I promise.”

“Yeah, but I’m useless _now_.”

“In that specific capacity, yes,” he agreed, but surprisingly, his words didn’t put you down whatsoever. “But I can’t imagine any of your friends truly think you’re useless.”

You shook your head despite him being unable to see it, “Renjun definitely does.”

“The Satori may not see them, but you have plenty of useful qualities too.”

“What useful qualities?”

Kun wasted no time in listing them off, “From the short amount of time I’d met you, I could tell that you’re a good person and people seem to just like to have you around, no matter how functional your Onmyoji powers are. And you’ve got to have regular _human_ friends like you just fine as a regular _human_ , right?”

Thinking of Jaemin and Jaehyun—your only human friends to your knowledge—you admitted, “Yeah, one or two.”

“There you go, you’re not useless. You’re someone’s friend, that’s not a useless endeavor.”

“I never expected something like that to come from someone like you.”

“How you mean?”

“A filthy rich powerful businessman seeing value in something so… abstract and lovely. I don’t know, I just wasn’t expecting that from you,” you admitted your surprise.

“I’m trying to keep the ‘filthy rich powerful businessman’ in the office. Or at least not around you. _You_ shouldn’t have to deal with ‘Mr. Qian.’ _You_ should just get Kun.”

The implication of him maybe thinking of you as someone special made your stomach do odd twists, a bashful smile coming to your lips, “Thank you, Kun. I really needed this conversation.”

“Of course, Y/N. I’m sorry we couldn’t have spoken in person.”

“I called you in the middle of the workday, I completely understand.”

“Another time, perhaps.”

“Perhaps,” you echoed, the corner of your mouth quirking up with your playful tone.

There was a brief pause before he spoke again, “One thing you’ll come to know about me is that I don’t like leaving my life up to uncertainties. Can I _definitely_ see you again in person? For example, at seven-fifteen next Thursday night when I pick you up to go see a play at the Aurora?”

You choked on your own tongue. The Aurora was a very fancy theater in a very nice area of downtown that you didn’t frequent mainly because any shops, restaurants, or venues there were quite out of your price range. You didn’t even have enough wits about you to ask what play. And really, did that even matter?

“Uh, yes, yes! I can do that. Yes, next Thursday, I’ll see you.”

“Then it’s a date,” his voice curled around your ear enticingly. “Unfortunately now I must get ready for my meeting. See you then, Y/N.”

“Yeah.”

“Goodbye.”

“Bye, Kun.”

 _Click_.

Holy shit.

Walking back into Lenticular, you were sure you had a dumbstruck look on your face as you continued staring down at your phone screen. Plopped down beside Taeyong again, you absentmindedly grabbed a cookie, taking a bite of it.

Yuta took the first swing at engaging you in conversation again, “Welcome back, Y/N…”

“What happened? Everything okay?” Taeyong blurted out, worry wavering his voice.

“I’m fine, Taeyong. Great, actually,” you reassured him, heart rate spiking when a text popped up on your screen.

[kun: Here’s the details: Thursday 9th, 7:15 PM, I’ll pick you up. Play begins at 8. I hope to speak with you again soon, before Thursday, preferably.]

* * *

“Jungwoo!” You called out when you arrived at the shrine on Monday afternoon.

After finishing your last class of the day, you’d swung by your apartment to grab Taeyong and drop your school bag off, then headed right over to the shrine. Normally Jungwoo was waiting for you or was fairly easy to locate considering he never left the shrine. But for some reason, despite yours and Taeyong’s repeated calling out to him, you couldn’t find him.

“Strange,” you frowned. Yukhei wouldn’t be here either, he had business in the town around this time on Mondays, too.

Heading out to the back, you called out Jungwoo’s name one more time before you heard rustling in the depths of the forest to your left. You whipped around, immediately spotting your friend. Jungwoo approached you with a small basket on his forearm, mellow smile across his features.

“Hello, Lady Onmyoji, Taeyong. I apologize for any inconvenience,” he bowed his head to you before leading the way back into the shrine.

“Oh, it’s fine, I was just a little worried was all,” you explained, looking at the various plants in his basket. “What’s in there?”

“Herbs. I am an apothecary as well, just refreshing my stores.”

“Oh cool! What kind of stuff do you do as an apothecary?”

“Remedies for small ailments, wounds, headaches, difficulty sleeping, things like that.”

“Well you’re definitely not helping Jeno with that last one,” you joked, watching Jungwoo methodically separate and store his new acquired herbs in their various shelves.

Jungwoo’s back was to you, but you heard something that could be called a chuckle come from him before he spoke, continuing to organize his herbs, “I think we are going to try something different today, Lady Onmyoji.”

“I’m down. Everything else has been a fucking dud.”

“Yes, I could sense that you have been getting quite frustrated with our sessions lately.”

“We _all_ are,” Taeyong retorted to the Tsukumo-gami.

“That is why we took yesterday off, to give everybody involved a break. Lady Onmyoji, do you know of any others who are joining us today?”

“No clue, they just kind of show up when they want,” you admitted.

“Very well. We will wait a few more minutes before starting.”

“We can start without them. They’re not the ones training.”

“Correct, but I do not wish for your focus to get broken once we have begun.”

Over the next few minutes, almost everybody had shown up—save for Jeno, who you were sure was passed out in his apartment.

“Don’t you two have a business to run?” You scoffed when both Johnny and Renjun joined you all.

“Even café owners have to take lunch breaks,” Johnny defended them.

“It’s 2:30 in the afternoon.”

“Johnny’s still paying me,” Renjun provided his own reason with a nonchalant shrug.

“Alright, if that is everybody for today, then you can all follow me,” Jungwoo gestured for everybody to take after him through the shrine.

The group stopped at the worship hall, a large room at the back of the shrine where religious services would have been held when the building was still being used for its original intent. You hadn’t been in that specific area since Jungwoo gave you a tour on your second visit here. The room was warmly lit by the sunlight filtering in through the windows—which were mere cutouts in the stone walls with no glass panes or modern aspect to them whatsoever—and along the floor were thick sitting mats in a circle.

“Today,” Jungwoo announced to the group, lowering himself onto a purple one, cross-legged. “We are meditating.”

Better than what you had been doing, in your opinion. This would be less work, at least. And so you sat on a light pink mat, Taeyong beside you on a blue one, and Johnny on your other side with an orange mat. The mat beneath you was comfortable, and your fingers absentmindedly graced over the worn material.

“Let’s begin with closing our eyes.”

You did so, darkness filling your field of vision.

“Now focus on your breathing. Inhale for ten, hold for eight, exhale for twelve.”

 _Inhale,_ one, two, three, four, five, six, even, eight, nine, ten. _Hold,_ one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. _Exhale_ , one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.

 _Inhale,_ one, two, three, four, five, six, even, eight, nine, ten. _Hold,_ one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. _Exhale_ , one, two— ** _BRRING!BRRING!BRRING!_**

Your eyes snapped open as you quickly fumbled to grab your phone from your pocket, “Fuck! Shit! Sorry! That’s me!”

The others groaned around you, and thankfully you read the name before you could decline it.

_Qian Kun._

“I’ve got to take this!” You shot up to your feet. “Sorry, I’ll be right back!”

Darting out of the room, with the phone still ringing in your hand, you didn’t slow until you were securely in the back clearing of the shrine.

You hastily picked up, trying to conceal how out of breath you were, “Hey, Kun!”

“Hello,” he returned your greeting, voice as cool as ever. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“Depends, but it doesn’t matter, its fine. I want to talk to you.”

“I’m glad, I want to talk to you too.”

“Yeah, I figured that’s why you called me.”

“Wow, you’re a genius,” Kun’s voice was laced with fond sarcasm.

“I mean, nobody’s ever seen me and Albert Einstein in the same room together is all I’m saying,” you easily jested back, that same giddy feeling that you got every time you’d spoken to Kun rising up in your chest once more.

“Are you trying to insinuate that you’re the deceased German mathematician Albert Einstein?”

“I’m neither confirming nor denying.”

“Your sense of humor is… amusing.”

“Isn’t that what a sense of humor’s _meant_ to be? Humorous?”

“Not everybody’s is. Doyoung, for example.”

Thinking back to the few—i.e., two (2)—interactions you’d had with Kun’s personal assistant, you shuddered at the thought of the snow spirit’s sense of humor, “I don’t think I want to hear that man even attempt a joke.”

“Trust me, you don’t,” Kun confirmed.

Suddenly, you remembered, “Oh! About Thursday, I have a question.”

“I have an answer.”

“What’s happening Thursday?” Taeyong’s voice was right behind you, and you nearly jumped out of your skin.

“Oh! Taeyong, you scared the crap out of me!” You breathed out, then addressed the man on call, “Hold on a second.” Focusing your attention back on your friend, you kept your hand over the microphone, “Something wrong, Yong?”

“You’ve been gone a while, I was worried about you,” your Nekomata informed you, brow crease deep with concern. “What’s happening Thursday?”

“Nothing, nothing. Go back to the others, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Cats can sense when people are lying, you know.”

“No they can’t, pretty kitty,” Yuta had joined the two of you, slinging his arm around Taeyong’s shoulders, which the latter quickly pushed off with a scowl. “But he’s right about you lying, anyway. What _are_ you doing Thursday?”

“I’m on the phone,” you emphasized your point by shaking said device momentarily. “Will you two buffoons harass me in like… five minutes?”

“Who are you on the phone with?” Now Johnny and Renjun were there.

“Oh my god, you’re all back here now.”

“Actually, Sicheng and Jungwoo are still in the hall,” Renjun informed you, debunking your exaggerations.

“Please leave me alone,” you begged, just wishing to finish up your conversation with Kun in peace.

Johnny asked again, “Who are you talking to?”

Yuta repeated, “What’s happening Thursday?”

“I’m working on a group project and I’m calling my partner to see if we’re going to do it at their place or mine,” you snapped at them. “Happy now?”

“Oh. Lame,” Renjun scoffed, pivoting on his heel back towards the shrine.

“For what class?” Yuta questioned suspiciously, making the Satori stop in his tracks to listen to your answer.

Then, some unknown entity must have heard your pleas, because Sicheng emerged from the shrine, “Leave her alone, you guys are ridiculous.”

“Oh my saving grace, Sicheng,” you breathed out in relief.

“But—ouch!” Both Taeyong and Yuta yelped as Sicheng grabbed the Nekomata by the back of the neck, and the Kitsune by his ear, pinching and pulling them back towards the building. A small patch of ocean blue scales flashed along his forearm, letting you know that he meant business.

“You know it’s really offensive to grab a Nekomata by the scruff when they’re not in their cat form, right?” Taeyong tried to argue with the Mizuchi dragon, but Sicheng didn’t let up. If anything, he tightened his grip on the two, their yelps renewing.

“Back to the worship hall, you nosy little Ayakashi. _All of you,”_ Sicheng chastised them all, blue eyes flickering between the others he didn’t have a physical hold on, threatening a similar fate if they didn’t go willingly.

And they all did, leaving you once again by yourself. Well, kind of. Bringing your phone back up to your ear, you sighed, “Sorry about that, I’m back.”

“Sure I didn’t catch you at a bad time?” Kun questioned, and you could imagine one of his brows raised with doubt.

“It’s never a good time to catch me when I’m with those nosy little fuckers.”

“Anyway, Thursday?”

“Right. What’s the dress code there, exactly?”

“It’s pretty nice. Semi-formal, I’d say. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve got something for that,” you nodded, picturing the exact thing in your closet that you were sure would work. “Thanks.”

“Of course. I’m excited to see you.”

“Me too.”

“I’m glad to hear. I’ll let you go back to your nosy friends now.”

“Oh joy,” you scoffed sarcastically, but couldn’t keep the excitement from your voice when you said, “I’ll see you Thursday.”

Kun confirmed with a slight uptick of pep in his own tone, “See you Thursday.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

You stayed on the line for a just moment longer before you heard the _click!_ of him hanging up.

* * *

Thursday was here, and you were stressed from the moment you woke up. Taeyong, of course, may not be able to sense lies, but he could definitely tell that something was up with you; his ears flicking nervously, tails swishing back and forth as he rubbed his head against your neck. And not in his cat form.

“Taeyong, I’m _trying_ to eat my cereal,” you rolled your eyes, gently pushing the human sized Nekomata away.

“What’s wrong?” He questioned, his brow furrowed deeply.

“Nothing, Yonggie,” you tried to distract him with ear scratches, which worked just long enough for you to finish your breakfast with one hand. As soon as you stood up to bring your bowl to your kitchen, he was right on your heels, worried once more.

“Y/N…” He whined out your name, and you sighed, knowing you’d have to tell him _something_. And you weren’t quite sure you wanted to tell him the truth, not yet. Your love life was _your_ business, not anybody else’s.

Taking his face in your hands, you took your thumbs and forcibly smoothed out the crinkles of his brow and forehead, rubbing them over and over. You’d have to tell him _something_ to make sure he didn’t give himself a stress-induced stroke or something.

“I’m sorry, Yonggie, I just… I hate doing group projects and I have that thing tonight.”

“Right. I’m sure everything will be okay, Y/N.”

“Thanks.” You took a glance at the time, “I’ve got to get ready for school now.”

* * *

Departing from your last class of the day, you gave a short goodbye to your Abnormal Psychology professor before following the stream of students out the doorway. Sunshine greeted you once you were outside, warm on your skin and a bit too bright on your eyes. A buzzing was in your pocket, prompting you to bring your phone out.

A call from Jaemin, what else could you except?

“Hey Y/N!” He cheerily greeted you. “I just started my break and wanted to check in with my best friend!”

“Normal people don’t constantly call their best friend their best friend, you know that, right?” You retorted, barely avoiding being shoved into the wall by another student who was in a rush.

“I don’t think _anybody_ has ever considered me normal in my life. Especially _you_.”

“You’re right. Anyway, what’s up?”

“So I was thinking takeout and bad teen rom-coms tonight? Your place?”

“No can do.”

“I’ll leave Tama alone, I promise!” He pleaded, but you firmly shook your head. (Despite being well aware that he couldn’t see you, it just felt right).

“First of all, that’s a lie, you couldn’t leave Tama alone even if you _wanted_ to. And second of all, I quite literally _cannot_ hang out with you tonight.”

“And why not?” He said in mock offense and very real intrigue.

“I’ve got—” you cut yourself off, excitement welling up in your throat. “I’ve got a date.”

“ _Ooh_ , okay,” Jaemin immediately accepted this, interest quite clearly piqued. “With who?”

“Somebody.”

“Care to tell me about this somebody?”

The urge to gush about Kun was definitely there, but you suppressed it. You hadn’t even gone on your first date yet, you had to slow yourself down, “Not yet.”

“Well then where are you going on this date?”

“Fortunately for me, somewhere you _can’t_ crash.”

“Try me.”

“Unless you can somehow get into a sold out play at the Aurora, you can’t crash it,” you scoffed, remembering the last time you went on a date:

Jaemin decided that it would be a good idea to serendipitously show up at the same café at the same time—details which you had mentioned to him, but he claimed to have no prior knowledge of. Your friend had even dragged poor Jeno out of the house, the crass Tengu’s appearance not helping your case. That was your last date with that particular guy, but you really couldn’t blame Jaemin, the two of you just didn’t click. But this time, you really did feel like you and Kun just might, so you desperately wanted Jaemin to _stay the fuck away._

“He’s taking you to a play?” Jaemin retorted suspiciously. “I didn’t think you were into that kind of stuff.”

“Well, I’m into _him_ , so I figured I’d give it a shot.”

“Do you even have something to wear to such an event?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Have fun, then.”

“Thanks.” You didn’t let yourself breathe out a sigh of relief quite yet, “And I swear to God you better not be waiting outside the entrance for us.”

“I would never do such a thing,” he gasped in clear offense this time. Then, his tone suddenly perked up, “Oh! I’ve got to go.”

“You just started your break two minutes ago.”

“Yes, but one of my regulars came in, this guy is _loaded_ , and I get paid on commissions. So, yeah, I’ve got to go!”

“Alright, alright,” you chuckled, happy that your friend had a good job. “Get that coin, NaNa!”

“And _you_ get that _dick_ tonight, Y/N! Bye!”

Before you could cuss him out for the last comment—or give some kind of reaction at all—he’d hung up. Shaking your head at your childhood friend’s antics, you still nevertheless had a fond smile as you descended into the subway.

* * *

“You’re wearing _that_ to work on a group project?”

 _“Shit,”_ you cursed under your breath as you closed your bedroom door behind you. You’d entirely forgotten about the excuse you’d given Taeyong that morning, and here you were in your nicest ensemble, which _definitely_ wasn’t the typical attire for doing just regular, normal school work. You’d spun a nice little web of lies for yourself, one that was easily dismantled.

Turning to the Nekomata with a guilty grimace on your face, you sighed, “Right. I’m sorry Taeyong, I should’ve told you the truth.”

“Which is?” He questioned, arms crossed over his chest and very visible pout on his lips.

“I have a date tonight, actually. Not a group project.”

His ears perked up at this, but his eyes narrowed suspiciously, “Hm. With who?”

“A guy,” you replied evasively. “You’re not entitled to know all my business, you know.”

“Right, right, sorry,” he apologized, and you were able to relax once more, feeling as though the situation was deescalating. “I’m not used to it, I don’t think you’ve gone on a single date since you adopted me.”

“Thanks for _that_ reminder, Taeyong.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it!”

“Yeah, I know,” you rubbed behind his ear affectionately, but quickly locked your elbow to hold his head back away from you. He had tried to go in to scent you again, head lowered and pushing against your hand before he looked up at you in pitiful confusion. You explained, “No cat fur on my nice dress, Yong. Sorry.”

He retaliated by disappearing his cat ears from his head, once again looking at you pleadingly.

“You’re absolutely ridiculous,” you rolled your eyes, taking your hand from his head nonetheless. “Anyone ever tell you that?”

“You, right now,” Taeyong informed you as he promptly rubbed his human hair against your neck. If it weren’t for the absolute innocence and sincerity in his tone, you’d have thought that he was being sarcastic with you.

A buzz in your hand rescued you in that very a moment, two words on your screen sending your heart all wonky.

[kun: I’m here]

“I’ve got to go, Taeyong,” you informed him, gingerly pushing him off of you.

The Nekomata let out a low whine from his throat, but unwillingly relented anyway. He followed you right up to the front door, where you gave him one last head scratch before leaving your apartment, hearing him lock the door behind you.

Outside the front of your apartment building, your eyes scanned for a moment before landing on Qian Kun, your date for the night. He was standing tall in front of a rather sleek looking car, dressed in a nice suit, something just a bit dressier than what he was wearing when you met him at the bookstore. When his eyes met yours, his stone face broke into a pleasant smile, giving a small wave to make sure you saw him.

You immediately started towards him, returning the smile as you approached him. Kun met you with a light hug, and you sincerely hoped he couldn’t tell that you were literally shaking with nerves.

“Hey, Y/N, it’s good to see you again,” he murmured before pulling back from the hug, hand keeping a barely-there touch on your forearm as he did so.

“And under less dangerous circumstances as well,” you were able to joke somewhat confidently.

Kun chuckled faintly, “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He took a step back from you to open the passenger door for you, and you cordially nodded to him as you got in the car. Your fingers flitted anxiously across your leg waiting for him to walk around the front of the car and get in the driver’s seat.

“This outfit is okay, right? I’m not going to get us kicked out for not wearing something fancy enough?” You questioned, messing with the material over your knees.

“It’s perfect. Beautiful,” Kun reassured you, reaching over to grab one of your hands.

You watched him with great surprise and interest as he picked it up and tenderly pressed his lips to your knuckles.

“Like you.”

And you damn near fainted right then and there.

“Oh. Good. And… thank you,” you managed to squeak out, wishing your wildly beating heart to at least slow down enough for you to hear your own thoughts.

With a smirk that clearly conveyed how pleased he was with himself over flustering you, he released your hand to start the car.

Steeling your nerves, you fired back with your own compliment, “I like your suit.”

And it was a very nice suit: a dark color—you couldn’t tell if it was navy blue or black in the lighting—with a crimson handkerchief in the breast pocket, his button-up underneath was the same dark color, dark red tie held down with a golden tie clip that glinted in the passing streetlights. He _screamed_ expensive, and you truly couldn’t believe _this_ was the man you were going on a date with.

“Thank you,” he smoothed out his tie in a way you swore could’ve been self-consciously, a possibly bashful smile crossing his lips.

Your phone dinged in your hand, and you absentmindedly checked it. You’d been added into a group chat with what you presumed to be your entire group of Ayakashi friends, save for a couple. There were some numbers you didn’t have, and in a short count, two were missing. Taeyong didn’t have a phone, and Jungwoo’s status as hermit lended credence to your guess that he wasn’t there either.

[sicheng: There’s something I want to talk about with all of you.]

[sicheng: Here’s a list of everybody in this chat and their numbers, make sure you add each other.]

The only ones you didn’t have were Renjun and Yukhei’s, which you promptly added to your contacts. However, you had your manners, and remembered where you were, quickly turning your phone back off.

Kun looked at you out of the corner of his eye, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just a group chat that I’m going to go ahead and mute right now,” you explained.

“Good.”

* * *

The play was actually very entertaining, not to mention that Kun had somehow gotten the two of you nearly front row seats—he described his disdain of the front row for the cricks he gets in his neck from looking up at the actors—allowing you to truly be engrossed in the storyline. At intermission, the two of you were able to talk, getting heavily engaged in a discussion over where you each thought the play was going. Both of you were proven wrong by the ending, which still had you in awe even through the standing ovation and as you left the building.

“That was _fantastic!”_ You gushed to Kun, holding onto his elbow as he helped you down the short flight of stairs at the entrance.

“I know!” He agreed heartily as the two of you approached the valet stand. “I’m so happy you enjoyed it.”

“I really did, thank you.”

Your conversation paused while Kun checked in with the valet, then resumed when the man left to fetch the car.

“How did you pick this play, anyway?” You questioned.

“It was recommended to me by an employee. I didn’t really know whether or not to trust a recommendation from _Wong Kunhang_ , but it thankfully wasn’t a complete dumpsterfire.”

“No, it was great! You might want to listen to this Wong Kunhang more often.”

“On play recommendations, sure, I’ll give him some leeway in the future,” Kun retorted with a head shake, and you briefly wondered what ‘Wong Kunhang’ had done that your date apparently couldn’t trust him with much else.

You were just about to add something else when you felt Kun’s arm tense in your hand. Turning your head to look over at him curiously, you saw his eyes flicking between two alleys on the opposite side of the street, some ways away as well. He deftly pulled his phone from his pocket, and sent a quick text before putting it back.

“What is it, Kun?” You asked lowly, having a rather bad feeling yourself.

“I hope the valet gets back in the next few seconds.”

“Why?”

“Because you still don’t have your powers, and I don’t mean to frighten you but there are several Wraiths present, and more arriving.”

“Oh my god.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine, Y/N,” Kun grabbed your hand to squeeze it reassuringly, and didn’t drop it once he had, which you were thankful for. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

Just a moment later, the valet returned. Without the car. He just came walking around the corner.

“Why— _fuck_ _!”_ You cursed out under your breath when you caught sight of his eyes. They were a glowing red. A very familiar, glowing red that they hadn’t been when the man left.

Kun shifted to put you behind him, but kept his reassuring grip on your hand as he boldly addressed the valet, “Where’s our car?”

Most of the other patrons of the play had already filed out and left the premises, something you realized maybe a little too late, as you were alone with Kun and this Wraith.

“If you won’t get us our car, then we’ll get it ourselves. Give me my key back,” your date tried to remain calm and keep the normalcy of the situation, probably hoping the Wraith would do the same.

The Wraith’s response wasn’t verbal, instead it was to take a swing at Kun. He didn’t duck, probably because the fist would’ve hit you. Instead, he allowed for the punch to impact squarely with his jaw. He didn’t stumble in the slightest, coolly pushing you backwards down the sidewalk, away from the Wraith in front of you.

“If you get bloodstains on this suit, I’m going to be fucking pissed,” Kun warned him, voice near a low growl. “More than I already am about you ruining this perfectly wonderful date.”

No reply.

“Glad to see that you’re back to possessing people again. Means you’re weaker, for one, and for two, I can actually do this.”

You couldn’t exactly see what he’d done, but judging by the crack you heard, Kun had returned the blow. And most likely broke the Wraith’s nose. Hearing footsteps behind you, you whipped your head around. Your blood ran cold when you saw two more Wraiths approaching you.

“Kun, there’s more,” you whispered to him.

He once again squeezed your hand, “I know. Just keep holding my hand, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And whatever you do, don’t freak out when you look at me.”

Your eyes had been previously locked onto the newcomers, but at Kun’s words, you instinctually snapped your gaze back to him. At first he didn’t seem too different. Until your eyes got to his forehead, where two large horns, probably around the length of your forearm, protruded from his hairline. They were a dark black, with a slight but elegant curve to them. And then your eyes caught something else they had missed: a giant fucking katana in his hand. The blade caught the light just right to flash and glint across your eyes right before Kun swung it at the Wraith.

The sword struck the Wraith across the face, to which it howled. You were amazed that he could wield it with such strength and precision one-handed; after all, he was still holding your hand.

“One downside of them possessing humans is that whatever damage I do, the host will have to live with. Assuming they’re still alive by the end of their possession,” Kun informed you, and it was then that you watched his attacks carefully. He was only hitting them with the flat of the blade, instead of actually slicing them. Trying not to hurt the human hosts.

One came up behind the two of you, but Kun was quick to snap around, knocking the Wraith squarely in the forehead with the butt of the sword.

“Can you kill them?” You asked.

“I can’t kill the Wraiths without killing their hosts too.”

“Fuck, oh my god, what are we going to do?”

“Y/N, you have to banish them.”

“I have to what?”

“You’re an Onmyoji. You can banish them.”

“Can’t you dissipate them or whatever?” You asked, panic rising in your throat. “Jeno’s done it! At the—”

“I can only dissipate them if they leave their human hosts. And I don’t think these have any plans of doing that.”

“Kun, I—”

“Come on,” he pleaded with you, continuing to fend off the Wraiths.

You fervently fired back, “I don’t have my powers.”

“You’ve got to awaken them.”

“I can’t just _turn them on!”_

“Y/N,” Kun’s voice remained level, even as he shoved the both of you out of the way of a lunge attack.

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do for the past two weeks? And _failing_ at?” You bitterly yelled out, hot tears spiking at your eyes.

“You can do this. It’s time.”

“I just can’t,” you admitted, fully sobbing now as you screeched out apologies at him. “I’m sorry, Kun. I’m so sorry. I can’t. I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.”

“I can,” he determined, holding the katana out to force the Wraiths backs.

“What—”

“I’m sorry.”

Before you could ask him what he was apologizing for, he dropped his katana. In the second before the metal hit the ground, before the Wraiths could pounce on the two of you, his hand came down over the back of your neck, a sharp _smack!_ echoing around your head.

“Evil spirits of days past heed these powers of the Onmyoji! Flee this place for eternity!” Kun shouted over the newfound ringing in your ears.

It felt like your head was splitting open, as if a seam had formed connecting your ears to each other and your skull was unfurling along it. Vaguely, you could still hear Kun reciting the same words, but the din of your brain surely flying forth from your head overpowered it. Maybe you were screaming, you couldn’t tell in that moment, except the pain in your throat and the metallic twinge surfacing along your tongue. The rest of your body didn’t feel real, you may not have even had one at all; really, who knew? _You_ sure didn’t.

Then it was all gone, and the words Kun was saying once again registered.

“—for eternity!”

With those last two words, he let out a heavy sigh, dropping his hand from your neck. You couldn’t speak, mouth dumbly opening and closing like a guppy, lame eyes taking note that there were no more Wraiths around you. The bodies of their human hosts were crumpled on the ground around you. And Kun was still holding your hand, just like he said he would.

You shifted your hand in his before tightening your grip on it. Or at least trying to, as you found that you couldn’t possibly squeeze his hand any tighter, your own knuckles already a stark white around his.

“You’re okay, Y/N, I’m sorry,” Kun murmured to you, and you managed to register that one of his thumbs was clumsily wiping under your eyes. You had been crying, apparently.

It was when you loosened your grip back to normal on his hand, and his nearly weakly fell from yours that you realized how much… _whatever_ that was, had taken a toll on him. He looked dead tired, as if he were about to pass out any minute. Not to mention the very obvious red bump on his jaw that would surely start bruising soon.

“Oh, Kun!” You rushed to usher him to sit down against the valet stand. Holding steadfast to his hand, you were thankfully still able to reach his katana, cautiously sliding it back to him by the handle. You turned your attention to his face, where the Wraith had punched him.

“Where’s your phone? I’ll call Doyoung to come get us,” you went to rummage through his pockets, but the blinking of headlights in your vision caught your attention.

“He’s… already here,” Kun informed you quietly, nodding towards the approaching car.

The SUV—one that looked awfully similar to the one that had picked you up from Lenticular Café that one night—pulled up to the curb and stopped with a harsh _skrrt_ of the wheels. Leaving it running, the driver hopped out and ran around the front of the vehicle to get you two. It _was_ Doyoung, his jaw set just the slightest in what could be called worry as he jogged over.

Kun began pushing himself up, shaking off Doyoung’s helping hands, but keeping his hold on yours. Doyoung instead grabbed Kun’s nearly forgotten katana and hovered nearby as you helped the Oni into the car. The snow spirit closed the door behind the two of you before hopping back into the driver’s seat, depositing the weapon into the passenger side and peeling away from the theater.

“Are you okay, Kun?” You asked him, watching his face closely for signs of pain. He didn’t seem hurt beyond the punch, mostly just tired.

“Yeah, just a little drained,” he informed you, turning his serious gaze to you. “Are _you_ okay, Y/N?”

Now that he’d brought the attention back to you, your own exhaustion hit you like a lead train. Your head was spinning and throbbing, and not only did every cell of your being scream for sleep, but you were _mentally_ exhausted as well, feeling as though you’d just taken an upper-level astrophysics final eight times in a row without a calculator.

“Fucking tired as hell,” you admitted, a yawn surfacing as soon as the words had left your mouth.

“Rest,” Kun encouraged you, his smooth voice immediately convincing your already-closing eyelids to shut that much faster, and you drifted off.

* * *

You awoke no longer in the car, but instead in an unfamiliar living room. If you could even call it that. It was _huge_ , that one room being the size of your whole apartment. You didn’t have to be confused for long, as your wide eyes spotted a familiar figure standing between the room you were in and what seemed to the be the kitchen, a glass of water in hand and no longer donning his suit jacket.

“You’re awake,” Kun smiled down at you as he set the water on the glass coffee table in front of you. A bruise was already forming where the Wraith had punched him.

“I’m at your house.” That should have been a question, but a statement was made instead.

“Yes.”

“How’s your face?”

“Fine, I put some ice on it earlier. The Wraith didn’t have much of a swing.”

“So what happened?”

“You fell asleep in the car. I wasn’t sure when you’d wake up, so we took you back here instead.”

“No, not that, I remember falling asleep. I mean, before that, with the Wraiths.”

Kun blurted out, “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“What?”

“I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that to you,” he apologized profusely, sincere remorse in his voice as he clasped his hands in front of him and hung his head in shame.

He had said sorry before he put his hand on your neck, you remembered, “What did you do? The chanting or whatever.”

“It’s something only very old and powerful Ayakashi can do, and not very often, but… I channeled your powers for you. I am _so_ sorry, Y/N.”

“Kun, you saved our lives, why would I be upset with you for that?”

“Channeling and controlling others’ powers is a very _sacred_ and intimate thing for Ayakashi. If I had done that to anybody else who knew me as little as you do, I’d have _mortally_ violated them. Once again, I am so very sorry for this, Y/N.”

“Kun, please don’t apologize. I don’t care about that. You saved my life, _that’s_ what I care about. Please, for fuck’s sake, look at me.”

At your insistence, Kun dragged his eyes up from the floor to meet your own. You waved him over, patting the spot on the couch beside you. He sat down, his confidence quickly returning now that you’d dismissed his worries.

“Tell me more, about Ayakashi power customs or whatever they’re called,” you requested. “I don’t want to offend anyone in the future.”

“We don’t really have a name for them, they’re just the unspoken rules and customs of Ayakashi. Like I said, controlling and channeling powers is something that Ayakashi take very seriously. The sanctity of an Ayakashi’s power is also why the bond that Onmyoji and their True Ayakashi have is so important to those Ayakashi.”

“An Onmyoji and their… what?”

“True Ayakashi. Have your friends not told you anything about Onmyoji?”

“We’ve really just been focused on trying to awaken my powers…” you mumbled, somewhat ashamed by how little progress you’d made in the two weeks of training sessions.

“Well, an Onmyoji will have five Ayakashi who, if they were to channel their powers, would make them the most powerful they could be. And _your_ True Ayakashi—” Kun brought his phone out, searching for something as he kept talking, “are whichever Ayakashi have a mark that matches this,” he turned his phone screen around to show you a picture of the back of your neck, and right where he had slapped earlier was a beautifully bloomed black lotus blossom.

“That’s _my_ neck,” you stated in disbelief, your own hand grabbing at the skin instinctually.

“And _that_ ,” he zoomed in on the flower, “is your bond mark. Your True Ayakashi will have the same thing in the same place.”

“When did you take that picture?”

“Doyoung took it in the car once we’d arrived here. Your mark isn’t visible to anyone else except other Onmyoji and Ayakashi. And I can’t take another picture right now of it either. The marks don’t like cameras.”

“Then how were you able to get that picture?”

“They’re able to be photographed sometimes, but not always.”

“Ah,” your eyes strayed to Kun’s neck, a move he seemed to notice.

“The Onmyoji who I had a bond mark with has already passed. I’m not one of yours.”

“You don’t get another one?”

“No, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Another reason why an Ayakashi’s bond with their Onmyoji is so special.”

“Oh, okay,” you nodded, absorbing the information. “Is it weird to say I’m disappointed you’re not one of mine? Like, is that way too forward in Ayakashi culture?”

Kun’s mouth split into a bright smile as he chuckled, “No, no, I’ll take it as a compliment. I’m flattered.”

“Good, that’s how I meant it.”

There was a pause in your conversation, a lull as you mulled over what you’d just been told. You said, “The Onmyoji who shared your bond mark, what happened to them?”

He inhaled sharply before shaking his head, “That’s a story for another day, Y/N.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, that’s probably something super personal for you. Don’t feel like you have to tell me anything at all, okay?”

“No, no, I will tell you. Just not right now. I’ll get another chance to tell you, right?”

“Yes, you will. Definitely. Best first date I think I’ve had ever,” you smiled over at him, and absolutely beamed when he reached out to take your hand in his again.

“I’m glad I could make an impression. Although I hope it was _my_ charm that did so and not… you know.”

“Don’t worry, it was definitely you.”

“Good.”

The cocky curl of Kun’s lips caught and held your attention, and you definitely didn’t miss the proximity between the two of you as his hand still held yours. When you briefly glanced up, you saw that his eyes were fixated on your mouth as well.

“Good?” He repeated, voice thick and low as he now _asked_ you, leaning just a bit closer.

“Very,” you replied.

In the next moment, Kun’s other hand had come up to cradle the back of your head, pulling you forward until he could slot your mouths together. You immediately responded, arms flaring with goosebumps and blood rushing to your face. Kissing him back eagerly, your own hand gripped at his shoulder to ground yourself to something. And give yourself more leverage as he slowly and deliberately moved his mouth against yours, forcing you to slow your own pace down. You softly whined against his mouth, earning a nip on your bottom lip from Kun. Begrudgingly, you slowed down, and fully melted into the kiss. He pulled back, leaving you to chase his lips with yours for a moment.

Now able to catch your breath and regain some control over your mind, you glanced over at the glowing time on the TV set-top box. It was late. You presumably hadn’t slept for long, but you still had a very anxious Nekomata awaiting your arrival home.

So, with great reluctance, you forced yourself out from under Kun’s spell, “I need to get going.”

“Do you?” Kun questioned, reclining back against the couch, casually resting his arms along the back of it, eyebrow raised with challenge. A challenge you couldn’t indulge in at the moment, no matter how much you _desperately_ wanted to.

“Yeah, I’ve got Taeyong. Poor guy nearly had an aneurysm when I left, he probably won’t sleep until I’m back,” you confessed, willing your legs to actually stand up.

“If you insist,” he accepted, standing along with you. “I’ll drive you.”

“Thank you.”

Your eyes caught on a small bookshelf against the wall of the living room, and instinctually, your feet guided you over to it. You read over the spines, all classics.

“Your small library of rare books,” you recalled your conversation when he first came into the shop.

“Yes, did you think I was lying?” He questioned, and you turned to him to shake your head.

“No, it just makes my heart happy, as the daughter of two bibliophiles.”

“I’m glad I could make your heart happy then,” he smirked, then jerked his head towards his front door. “Come on, they’ll still be here the next time you’re over.”

_‘The next time you’re over.’_

You liked the sound of that.

* * *

Having taken a single step out of the stairwell and onto your floor—after wasting perhaps _too much_ time parked in the car in front of your apartment building with Kun—you were caught off-guard by a streak of white barreling into you.

“Oh my god, hi, Taeyong!” You coughed out, having just gotten the wind knocked out of you by the worried Nekomata.

“Y/N! You’re back! And you—you have your powers!” Taeyong exclaimed, burying his head into your neck. “I could feel you from down the street!”

In all honesty, you had kind of forgotten about your powers in everything that happened after.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, they finally awakened.”

“How?”

Your throat seized up. Did you _really_ want to tell Taeyong about what had happened? No, not everything, and not exactly. And especially not in the hallway outside all your neighbors’ doors.

“Let’s get in the apartment, Yong,” you suggested sweetly, noticing then that his ears and tails were out. Even more of a reason to not discuss this out in the open.

Inside your apartment, you made a beeline for your room, ready to un-fancy yourself for the night. Taeyong, against his preference, waited outside your bedroom door for you, speaking to you through it.

“So what happened? Jungwoo said you’d get them when they were needed. Were you attacked?”

You toed off your shoes, biting your lip thoughtfully before deciding on, “Yeah, there was a Wraith waiting outside the venue for us. My powers awakened then, and I was able to banish the Wraith.”

“Wow. I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“Me too,” you shrugged off your dress and pulled on your pajamas.

Moving to the door, you opened it to allow Taeyong in while you took care of your hair before moving to chill on the couch.

“What did your date think? They were a human, right?”

“Oh, he didn’t even really notice. He was… in the bathroom.”

“Well that’s good, then,” Taeyong chirped cheerily, affectionately pressing his forehead against your shoulder, soft ears flicking along your skin with happiness. “I’m so happy you’re safe.”

“Thanks, Yonggie,” you rubbed his head with a guilty twinge in your heart. You weren’t being completely honest with him. “So how was your night?”

“Boring. And I might have stress-ate all of the dry food in the pantry.”

“Oh, bub. I’ll put that on the shopping list.”

Remembering your group chat you had muted earlier, you checked your messages on your phone. It had blown up but was mostly introductions being made and idle chit-chat. Until you got to the most recent messages.

[johnny: you guys feel that?]

[jeno: feel what?]

[sicheng: yes]

[yuta: i’m with jeno on this one, what are you guys talking about?]

Strangely, the time code was about twenty minutes after the play had ended. Well, time for your announcement.

[you: i’m not sure if this is what you all were talking about earlier but i got my powers tonight]

[renjun: seriously?]

[johnny: nice, y/n!]

[sicheng: Congratulations!]

[yukhei: My brother is very pleased to hear this]

[yukhei: He also has a bond mark now. Yours is also a lotus, correct?]

Holy shit, _Jungwoo_ was one of your Ayakashi?

[you: yes, it is!]

[johnny: so do renjun and i]

[renjun: yeah]

[sicheng: I just looked in the mirror, I do as well.]

So the bond marks don’t show up in cameras, but they do in mirrors. Noted. Not to mention that _four_ of your friends were _also_ your True Ayakashi.

[you: wow, that’s awesome!]

[sicheng: Jeno doesn’t seem to be awake to confirm whether or not he also gained the same bond mark, so I suppose we will have to wait for his reply in the morning. Until then, congratulations once more, Y/N. You have four out of your five True Ayakashi already in your acquaintance.]

[you: don’t expect a response from him for another twelve hours or so, honestly]

A yawn split your mouth open, and after the night you just had, you really wanted nothing more than to drift off peacefully to sleep with thoughts of kissing Qian Kun in your mind. So that’s what you did.

[you: it’s late and i’m really tired from tonight. let’s make plans to meet up and chat tomorrow, okay?]

[johnny: oh my god of course y/n!!! sleep! rest! skip your class tomorrow if you need to!]

[sicheng: I agree with Johnny. Get lots of rest, Y/N.]

[renjun: yeah go to sleep dude]

A message coming from a private chat drew your attention away from the group chat.

[sicheng: Let me know if you need anything at all.]

[you: i will, thanks sicheng]

Clicking your phone off, you stood up, disturbing Taeyong from where he had curled up on your lap in his cat form. He padded alongside you as you shuffled into the bathroom, leaving the door open. Hopping onto your counter, you grabbed a handheld mirror from your drawer, angling it until you saw your bond mark.

“Pretty,” you thought aloud to yourself, bringing your fingers up to graze over it.

“I don’t have my bond mark,” Taeyong informed you sullenly, now in his Nekomata form so you could see the skin of his neck. Still just as blank as when you left.

“You’ll get it, Yong, don’t worry,” you reassured him, setting your mirror back down.

“But I’m not one of _your_ True Ayakashi.”

“Aw, bub,” you cooed at the Nekomata, reaching out to take his head between your hands and rub at his ears just how you knew he liked. “I’m sorry, Yonggie. I’m sad you’re not one of my True Ayakashi, too.”

Taeyong squared his shoulders and set his jaw to announce very seriously, “I may not be one of your _True_ Ayakashi, but I’m still one of _your_ Ayakashi.”

“Thank you, Taeyong,” you beamed at your friend before pushing on his shoulder gently. He got the idea, backing up out of the bathroom to let you hop back off the counter and head for your bedroom. “Now, I don’t know about _you_ , but _I’m_ tired as hell.”


	2. [two]

You woke up later the next morning than you usually would. Rolling over, you planted your hands on your mattress and pushed yourself into half a sitting position. At the foot of your bed was Taeyong, curled up in his cat form. You wanted to leave without waking him, but as soon as you shifted to swing your legs over the edge of the bed, he shot up, bright blue eyes watching you, unblinking.

“Morning, Yonggie,” you smiled fondly at him. Grabbing your phone from your nightstand, you winced when you saw the time. You’d have to grab something to eat on the way to class, “Or, almost afternoon. I gotta get dressed, you mind?”

He leapt off your bed in response, turning into his human form to open and close the door for himself. You also had a couple texts, which you wanted to reply to as soon as possible.

The first ones that you decided to deal with was the one in the group chat with your other Ayakashi friends.

[sicheng: I close the shop at 5, is everybody available then to meet at Lenticular Café?]

[yuta: i can do that]

[renjun: the old man and i live there, its kind of hard not to be there]

[johnny: he means yes, that works]

[jeno: sure, whatever]

[yukhei: I will be in attendance and will relay the information to my brother]

[sicheng: Y/N?]

[johnny: she’s probably still asleep, which is good]

[sicheng: Right.]

Those were all from a few hours ago, so you sent your own reply.

[you: taeyong and i will be there!]

[johnny: perfect!]

[sicheng: How are you feeling, Y/N?]

[you: fine, and you guys were right, i just woke up]

[you: and have a class soon, so i’ve got to go! i’ll see you all at five!]

Exiting out of that conversation, you clicked on one that interested you much, much more.

[kun: I know (or at least am hoping) that you’re not awake right now. I just want to let you know once again, that I had a wonderful time last night and I hope I can see you again soon.]

The text was from six in the morning, so he was right to assume that you weren’t awake. He must have texted you between waking up and going to work. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach as you thought that maybe you had been the first thing he thought of when he woke up.

[you: i had a great time too, and yes, we should definitely see each other again soon]

Humming to yourself as you got dressed, you couldn’t wipe the happy grin from your lips as you grabbed your schoolbag.

“You’re in a good mood,” Taeyong commented, watching from his perch on the arm of the chair. In his true form.

Right as you turned to respond, he lost his balance and dropped right off the furniture onto the floor. You winced, trying to hold back your giggles as you helped him up, “Maybe you should save that spot for when you’re in your cat form, bub.”

He grumbled, instead standing up and tilting his head at you. With suspiciously narrowed eyes, he once again stated, “You’re in a good mood.”

“Is it a crime for me to be in a good mood, Taeyong?” You scoffed, swinging your bag onto your shoulder. Your heartrate spiked when you felt a buzz in your pocket, and now you _really_ wanted to get out of this conversation: it may be Kun texting you back.

He shook his head, offering you a small smile, “No, of course not. You’re just not usually this bright when you wake up.”

“Well, I had a very good night last night.”

“So you’re going to see him again?”

“Yeah, I am,” you nodded definitively, checking the time once more. “I’ve got to get going, Yonggie! Sicheng wants to meet up with everybody tonight, so I’ll be back after my class to hang with you, then we’ll head over, okay?”

The Nekomata nodded, “Okay.”

“Bye, bub!” You said cheerily, giving him a short head pat before taking off for your class.

As soon as you were in the hallway, you brought your phone back out to check your messages. It _was_ Kun texting you back.

[kun: Did you just wake up?]

[kun: If you did, you deserve it after last night, Y/N]

[kun: So how soon would you like?]

[you: texting me in the middle of the workday? not very good behavior to model as the ceo]

[kun: Check the business card again]

[you: how do you know i still have it?]

[kun: A hunch]

And so you peeled back your phone case and fished the business card you’d been given the first time you’d met him out of it. Skimming over Doyoung’s job title, you realized your mistake.

[you: my bad, not very good behavior to model as the vice president]

[kun: I’m on my lunch break. Speaking of, I just started it, would you like to join me?]

God, you were _so_ tempted to. But you had a test in your class today, something you couldn’t miss unfortunately.

[you: i’d love to, but i’ve got a test at one. another day?]

[kun: I understand, another day. And good luck on your test]

[you: thanks. so how’s your day going?]

You continued text Kun all through your short subway ride. As you emerged from the tunnel, you spotted the food truck that usually parked at a corner of your campus. You double-checked that you had enough time before jogging over and ordering yourself some lunch. Procrastinating outside your lecture as long as you could, you quickly ate your food between texting Kun.

Unfortunately, you saw that you only had a couple minutes to get into your seat and get your test materials out and ready.

[you: i’ve got to go now, kun. i have something at five, can i call you after that?]

[kun: I’d love it if you would]

Well aware that you surely had a dumb grin on your face, you replied.

[you: then i will]

* * *

After handing your test in, you left the science building as if you’d just escaped prison, breathing in the fresh air. It’s not that you didn’t like your Chem class, you just _hated_ test days. You saw a familiar figure at the bottom of the steps, standing in front of someone sitting on the second to last one. The boy standing up looked up right as the door had been thrown open and gave you a friendly wave.

“Hey, Y/N!” Mark smiled up at you, causing the man sitting in front of him to whip around and look at you too.

“Hey, Mark,” you returned to smile, slowing down to chat.

“Y/N, this is my roommate, Ten,” he gestured to the man, who regarded you with interest. “Ten, this is Y/N, we sit together in Lit.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ten nodded in acknowledgement to you before reaching into the paper bag at his feet. Crumpled up on his other side was what looked like a white lab coat.

“You do research here, Ten?” You questioned, referencing the coat.

He continued unwrapping the sandwich he’d pulled out of the bag as he answered, “Oh, yeah, entomology department.”

“So you had that date last night, right?” Mark asked you. “How’d it go?”

“Oh, I forgot I told you about that,” you admitted, feeling heat rise to your cheeks as giddiness returned to your demeanor. “It went really well.”

“Nice, I’m glad.”

“So you got laid?” Ten snorted before biting off a mouthful of the sandwich.

You snapped your gaze down to look at him incredulously, “What the—”

Mark interjected before you could fully curse his roommate out, “Ten, dude, come on, just because _you_ only think a date went well if you get laid doesn’t mean that’s _everybody’s_ standard.”

“I don’t think that’s the _only_ way for a date to go well,” he argued, leaning back on his elbows to look up at you. “People have that kind of energy coming off them when they get laid.”

You rolled your eyes, “For your information, man that I’ve known for all of thirty seconds, no, I didn’t get laid.”

“Oh, then that must be your Onmyoji powers I’m sensing.”

This time he had fully rendered you speechless. How did he know, unless—

“You’ve got no tact, Ten,” Mark groaned with a shake of his head.

“I do when I want to. And I didn’t want to now. The look on her face was priceless.”

“You’re Ayakashi,” you breathed out, easily accepting this. After all, why _wouldn’t_ every single person you know be Ayakashi?

Your classmate addressed you calmly, “Ten is, yeah. I’m an Onmyoji like you. You can’t sense that?”

“No, not yet. I just got my powers last night, so I haven’t really been able to do much with them.”

“If I remember correctly, _you_ had already set a string of small fires by now when you’d gotten yours, Mark,” Ten snickered. “Fires that _I_ had to put out.”

“You don’t need to remind me of that, I almost got a criminal record out of it,” Mark sighed. “And I _didn’t_ , Y/N, uh mostly because they couldn’t figure out how I lit them, so it was hard to pin anything on me. It was also an accident, by the way.”

Remembering that you were still missing one of your five Ayakashi, you took a gamble, “Do you have your bond mark, Ten?”

“Yep,” he popped the ‘p’ before turning around and pulling down the back of his hoodie to show off the small lion across the back of his neck. “And you’re fresh out of luck, baby Onmyoji. I’m not one of yours.”

“Oh, okay. I figured I might as well ask.”

“Yeah, I got stuck with _this_ dude as my all-powerful overlord and master instead.”

Mark’s ears and neck turned red at the way his friend addressed him, “You _really_ don’t need to call me that, Ten.”

“I know, it’s fun to watch you squirm,” Ten declared, then stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth before leaping onto his feet.

“Your break over?” The other Onmyoji asked him.

He nodded, swallowing the food in his mouth, “Mhm, time to go experiment on my lesser brethren. I’m sure I’ll see you around, baby Onmyoji.”

“See you,” you said to Ten, watching him retreat back into the building.

Turning to Mark, you pieced together what the Ayakashi had just said, “So… he’s an entomologist, and an Ayakashi, and said he’s experimenting on his lesser brethren? Is he some kind of bug Ayakashi, then? Do those exist?”

Your classmate nodded, “Yeah, he’s a Jorogumo, a spider Ayakashi.”

“He doesn’t feel weird about experimenting on spiders and _being_ a spider?”

“I guess not, I’ve never really had the guts to ask him,” Mark shrugged, then jerked his head away from the science building. “You want get a late lunch? I haven’t eaten yet.”

“I ate right before my class, sorry. Sometime next week? We can chat about Onmyoji stuff. If that’s cool with you, of course.”

“Of course, but let’s do that in more private places in the future.”

“Oh, right,” you agreed sheepishly. Looking around, you figured that the only reason the three of you had been able to talk about it so openly then was that because it was a Friday afternoon, your campus was practically a ghost town, with very few classes happening on Fridays.

Mark then squatted down, and you noticed that Ten had forgotten his lab coat on the steps, “I’m going to go bring this to him. See you Monday, Y/N.”

“Alright, have a good weekend, Mark!”

* * *

When you arrived at your apartment that afternoon, you frowned when you couldn’t see Taeyong anywhere.

“Yong?” You called out into your apartment. After receiving no response, you shrugged. Probably catnapping.

With excitement buzzing in your veins from your short chat with Mark and Ten, you opened up your group chat with your Ayakashi friends. You had to let them know you’d found another Onmyoji and Ayakashi. After all, Ten and Mark could help you all with the Wraith problem.

[you: guys! you’ll never believe what just happened!]

[yuta: what, y/n?]

[you: one of my classmates is an onmyoji too! and his roommate is an ayakashi]

[johnny: what? who?]

[you: mark is the onmyoji and his roommate ten is one of his true ayakashi, actually]

[you: they can help us with the wraiths, right?]

[jeno: oh shit she’s being stupid]

[sicheng: Y/N, you need to tell us everything you can about these two tonight.]

[you: do you want me to just invite them? i have mark’s number]

[renjun: correction, jeno: she IS stupid]

[sicheng: No. Don’t invite them.]

[sicheng: We’ll discuss this tonight.]

[yukhei: I won’t be relaying tonight’s meeting to my brother, he’s going to come himself]

You had a growing sense of dread in the pit of your stomach as this conversation continued on.

[you: why do i feel like a kid who knows they’re about to be lectured but doesn’t know what they did?]

[renjun: because you are]

[johnny: it’s not going to be a lecture, it’s a discussion among friends, renjun]

[johnny: seriously, it’s nothing to worry about, y/n, i promise]

[you: jungwoo is leaving the shrine… that kind of feels like it might be something to worry about]

[sicheng: You’re correct Y/N. Like Johnny said, don’t worry, but understand that this will be a rather serious conversation tonight. More-so than I had planned. I wish I could tell you now so you didn’t have to feel nervous until tonight, but I’m at work and it will be easier to discuss this in person. See you all tonight.]

[you: ok cool, gonna go have a real quick mental breakdown for the next two hours now, see you guys!]

[renjun: you’re fucking dramatic]

[you: you’re fucking rude]

[johnny: renjun, go back to work]

Turning your phone back off, you tossed it to the opposite end of the couch from you. You pulled your knees up to your chest, a thoughtful frown coming to your features. A movement in your periphery caught your attention, and you saw Taeyong padding into the room from the hallway in his cat form. Dropping your knees, you opened your arms for him, and he gladly leapt up into your embrace. He pushed his forehead against your neck, twisting around to get in the optimal petting position. Holding steadfast to your cat, you grabbed the TV remote.

* * *

You didn’t actually pay attention to the TV show playing in the background as you pet Taeyong and let yourself get lost in your thoughts about your friends’ reactions when you brought up Mark and Ten. But it was text, you can’t tell tone over text, after all, you could’ve easily misunderstood their meaning. You just had to accept that you wouldn’t really grasp what they were trying to say until tonight.

“We should leave, Y/N,” Taeyong spoke up, the first time you’d heard his voice since you’d arrived home that afternoon. Honestly, you kind of forgot that you had a Nekomata in your arms and not just your cat Tama.

“Oh, right,” you set him aside to let him turn into his human form.

“So what was on your mind?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been your cat long enough to know a contemplative petting session.”

“Right. You’ll see when we get there,” you shoved your feet in your shoes. “Come on.”

* * *

You got onto Bell Street a little earlier than five and decided to pop into your parents’ shop. They took Fridays off early, so unless there were customers, you knew that it’d just be Sicheng inside. You’d told Taeyong to go on ahead to the café while you grabbed the Mizuchi dragon. The bell above the teal door rang, causing Sicheng to snap his head up from where he was doing his final tally of the cash register.

“Hey, Y/N,” he greeted you, returning to his task at hand.

“Hey, Sicheng.”

“I’ll be there in just a minute. I’ve got to count this then I’m locking up for the day.”

“Can I see it?”

“What?”

“The bond mark.”

“Oh, of course,” he paused his counting to turn, pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal the whole lotus blossom. “I’m one of yours, Y/N.”

“That’s… _awesome_ ,” you breathed out, jaw dropped slightly as you scanned over the mark.

Sicheng had a bashful smile on his face as he released his shirt, turned back to face you, and continued his task at hand.

Memories of the last couple times you were in the shop came to mind, and you decided to ask, “So have you guys been able to find the first edition Don Quixote?”

“No, and as far as I’m concerned, I hope we never do,” Sicheng grumbled, beginning to put the money back. “The less ogres I have to deal with the better.”

“Oh.”

He continued in a mumble as if he were mostly talking to himself than you, “Although I suppose he’d probably send his assistant to come pick it up, however, I don’t have much more respect for someone who works for Oni either.”

 _Yikes_.

Sicheng came around the counter, ushering you towards the door. You left the shop, waiting for him as he locked it behind the two of you. Both you and Sicheng were quiet as you walked the short distance between Bibliophile Books and Lenticular Café.

At the café, the closed sign had been flipped around, and the only people inside were the two who lived there and Taeyong. Johnny stood to greet you, and you eagerly accepted his hug. Breaking away from him, you pointed to him and Renjun, “Let me see ‘em! Show me your bond marks!”

They looked to Sicheng for a moment, to which the Mizuchi dragon shrugged, “She made me show mine off too.”

With a chuckle, Johnny obliged, and Renjun begrudgingly did so as well. Excitement buzzed in your veins as you saw the matching symbols.

“Sorry if I’m being weird! This is just so cool!”

“Glad you think so, little lady.”

“You _are_ fucking weird,” Renjun rolled his eyes.

Before you or Johnny could say something, the front door opened again, and Jeno came through. Already yawning, of course. He didn’t give out any greetings, instead immediately making a beeline for a booth. As he walked by you, your eyes noticed something on the back of his neck.

“Stop!” You ordered, grabbing his elbow.

He tried to turn to scowl at you, but you held onto his shoulder to keep him facing away from you, yanking his hoodie down.

“You’re one of my Ayakashi!” You exclaimed before spinning him around for the others to see.

“Yeah, didn’t I say that?” Jeno retorted, finally shaking you off to reach his intended destination, flopping onto the booth’s bench.

“No, you didn’t.”

“Oh, I must’ve fallen asleep before sending the message.”

“Of course.”

The next time the door opened, it revealed two tall figures, one clasping tightly to the other’s arm. Yukhei didn’t seem to mind the iron grip Jungwoo had on him, face as blank as ever. Jungwoo offered you all smiles, not letting go of his brother until the two of them stopped close enough to you for him to be able to grab your arm before releasing Yukhei’s.

“Hello, Lady Onmyoji,” he hugged you gently. “Congratulations on gaining your powers.”

“Thank you,” you grinned back at him. “Could I see the bond mark, please?”

“Oh, so you’ll _ask_ him, but you _demand_ us to show you ours,” Renjun scoffed.

“She _manhandled_ me!” Jeno called you out.

Sicheng tried to defend you, “She asked me as well.”

The Satori shook his head with a tsk, “Well we clearly know who her favorites are.”

“Did the little lady say ‘ _please_ ,’ too?” Johnny joined in on teasing you, raising his eyebrow at the Mizuchi dragon.

“No, I wasn’t granted _that_ high of esteem,” he replied, mirth glinting in his eyes.

Jungwoo still had his light smile on his lips as he shifted to allow you to see the back of his neck, keeping a gentle hold on one of your forearms. Indeed, there was a lotus blossom, just like yours, and like the others: Renjun, Johnny, Jeno, and Sicheng. So you really already had all five of your True Ayakashi.

“Okay, so now we’re just waiting for—”

Johnny was cut off by the door swinging open brazenly, the very man he’d just been about to name sauntering through. Yuta gave everybody a broad smile, “Hey! Sorry I’m late.”

“No you’re not,” you scoffed at your friend, to which he threw a dramatic hand over his chest.

“I’m hurt! I am _agog_ and _aghast_ that you could think me anything other than honest, Y/N!”

“ _Now_ who’s fucking dramatic, Renjun?” You raised a pointed eyebrow at the Satori.

Renjun relented with wide eyes, “Yeah, I take it back, Y/N.”

“Anyway, you’ve got your powers! Look at you, Onmyoji!” Yuta pulled you into a tight hug, one that caused Taeyong’s hackles to raise, as per usual.

“Thanks, Yuta.”

Johnny cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention, “Uh, now that everyone is here, we can start. Go ahead and sit somewhere.”

You determinedly stalked over to the booth Jeno was laying in and shoved his feet off.

“You could’ve asked,” he grumbled, sitting up fully as you scooted in beside him.

“Would you have moved?”

“No.”

“Exactly.”

Once everyone settled into the booth, on the table of the booth, or pulled up chairs around it, they all looked to Johnny and Sicheng, who seemed to both be figuratively—and literally—at the head of the table.

Sicheng stood up to address everyone, “I called this meeting, so I’d like to thank you all for coming. Now, I’m going to address why I have requested you all be here. We’ve already established that the presence of Wraiths in our city has grown to a worrisome number, and their power has also been increasing heavily. Now that Y/N has her powers, I believe it would be ideal for us to run patrols around the city. The first rule of this would be to not engage first. End fights but don’t start them. Once Y/N can banish Wraiths, we would have her banish any troublesome ones. These patrols would mostly be just to keep an eye on things around here, monitor the situation and gather information.”

“Makes sense to me,” Johnny spoke up, and everyone agreed soon after.

“When and how often would these happen?” Yuta asked.

Sicheng replied, “In the evenings once everyone is done with work and classes for the day. And I’m thinking two or three times a week, nothing excessive.”

You could definitely work dates with Kun around a minor schedule like that, “I’m down.”

With everyone in agreement on doing the patrols, you found yourself thinking about how they wanted you to banish Wraiths. You were fairly sure you just had to say the same chant that Kun had, no problem. But those Wraiths were different than the ones from the café. You couldn’t get the image of their red, human eyes out of your mind.

“Sicheng, I have a question,” you spoke up, quieting the excited chatter around the table.

Your friend looked to you attentively, “Go ahead, I’m all ears.”

“So the Wraiths that were at the café the first time I’d ever seen them, they just looked like normal people. Someone said they… made their own human forms?”

“Yes. Usually they possess a human instead, but these Wraiths are particularly strong.”

“Do they look any different when they possess a human rather than making their own human forms?”

“The eyes are different, yes. They’re red when they’re possessed. Why are you asking?”

Not wanting to relay your date night battle right then, you shrugged, “I just want to be able to tell the difference, for patrolling, you know?”

Sicheng accepted this and continued on, “Now, we have something else to address.”

Oh, right, the thing that had filled you with dread for the past two hours.

Johnny took over, very calmly and very seriously requesting, “Y/N, tell us about the Onmyoji and Ayakashi you mentioned earlier.”

“Uh, well, the Onmyoji is one of my classmates, Mark Lee, and his roommate Ten is one of his True Ayakashi. He’s a… Jorogumo, I think. That’s the spider Ayakashi, right? And that’s really all I know. I just found out this afternoon, and the three of us only talked for a couple minutes after my class.”

The Ayakashi around you all exchanged uneasy glances at your statement—except Yuta, who was _extremely interested_ in picking at his fingernails.

“Why? What’s going on, guys? Why couldn’t I invite them tonight? Having another Onmyoji would help, wouldn’t it?”

Sicheng looked over at the Tsukumo-gami, “Jungwoo, could you explain?”

“Yes,” he didn’t step forward, but sat up straighter in his chair. “Lady Onmyoji, the reason we are all uneasy about your finding of another of your kind is that it is not _unheard of_ for old and powerful Wraiths to create human forms, but that is a rarity. For this many in one area to be able to do so… they have to be supplied with that power by someone. Which is a task that only Onmyoji can do, I am afraid. While we have no _proof_ that this classmate of yours is behind the uptick in Wraiths and their powers, it is not a chance that we can afford to take. Because no matter one’s intentions, the power of Wraiths is inherently corrupting, and typically does not attract those of pure spirit.”

“Oh,” you felt like you’d just gotten the wind knocked out of you.

Sure, you and Mark weren’t _best friends_ , but you couldn’t imagine the boy doing such a thing. While you didn’t wholeheartedly believe that Mark was behind this, you understood why you couldn’t risk involving him and Ten. But you weren’t going to assume the worst about him either. You wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, get at the root of this. Obviously not right then, however.

“Sorry, Y/N,” Taeyong murmured, pushing his head against your shoulder to comfort you.

“Uh, thanks,” you blinked, shaking your head a couple of times to clear your mind. “I’m fine. Surprised, uh, but again, he’s just my classmate, I don’t know him very well.”

Sicheng nodded in understanding, “That’s good. I recommend keeping your distance for the time being. From him and the Jorogumo.”

You didn’t want to admit that you sat next to him in your class, and promised to get lunch together next week, so you didn’t. There was so much for you to think about, and everyone there seemed to have already determined his guilt in the matter so you didn’t feel like you could openly share your doubts in that moment. So you didn’t.

The rest of the meeting was spent ironing out the details for patrols. You’d occasionally give your two cents on decisions, but you still weren’t fully invested in the conversation. Too many thoughts bouncing in your head that you couldn’t talk about with them. But you knew exactly who you wanted to talk about them with.

So when the meeting was final declared over, and Johnny offered for everybody to stay for dinner, you politely declined.

“Thanks, Johnny, but I’m still really drained from my powers awakening last night,” you fibbed, moving to stand up. “Uh, Taeyong, you’re more than welcome to stay and eat, okay?”

“If you’re going home, I’ll come,” Taeyong frowned. “I don’t want you walking alone at night, that’s not safe.”

“Taeyong, it’s barely after sundown.”

Sicheng thankfully seemed to pick up on what you were trying to do, “I need to head out too, so I’ll walk her home, Taeyong.”

The Nekomata visibly relaxed at this, but still gave you a worried ear flick as he said goodbye to you. Giving your other friends your goodbyes, you then left the café with Sicheng.

“Thanks, Sicheng,” you breathed out once you were further down Bell Street. “You don’t have to walk me home, by the way.”

“Of course, Y/N,” he replied, hands tucked into his jacket pockets. “I’ll walk with you at least some of the way, though, I have something to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“ _How_ exactly did you get your powers? I know you got them last night, but you haven’t really told us how.”

After Sicheng’s earlier ramblings about Kun and Oni ogres, as well as Kun’s deep apologies for activating your powers for you, and his spiel about how sacred something like that is, you had a feeling that telling Sicheng the true story wouldn’t be a good idea. You weren’t _thrilled_ to lie about this again, but you had too much happening in your head to deal with _that_ right now. So you told him the same thing you told Taeyong.

“I was on a date last night. A few Wraiths tried to pick a fight and my powers just _happened_ , then the Wraiths were gone.”

“And your date? I’m assuming they were a human, since your powers awakened.”

“Thankfully he was in the bathroom.”

“Good timing on the Wraiths’ part.”

“Yeah, perfect.”

“Is that why you asked if possessed humans and Wraiths who made their own human forms looked any different?”

“Mhm, the ones last night looked like people with glowing red eyes. The ones at the café just looked like people. I figured there might be a difference.”

“It’s a good thing the first time you had to deal with Wraiths on your own was possession; they’re weaker that way.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Sicheng looked at you curiously, “From who?”

You realized your mistake too late, “Uh, I think someone’s mentioned it before, I don’t remember now. Maybe I haven’t heard, I don’t know, I’m tired!”

“Right. Get some sleep, Y/N. I’ll see you Monday for our first patrol.”

“Monday,” you confirmed.

“Bye.”

“Bye, Sicheng,” you said farewell to your friend before parting ways, heading off on your own.

Immediately as soon as you knew he was out of earshot, you whipped out your phone and called Kun, just like you’d planned. On the second ring, he picked up.

“Hey, Y/N,” he answered smoothly, and already you could feel a weight being lifted off your shoulders by his voice.

“Hey, Kun,” you tried to force brightness into your voice, but you knew you’d failed.

“What’s happening? You sound… like you’re thinking about a lot of things.”

“I am,” you groaned, thankful that you could just be honest with him.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Please.”

“Over dinner?”

Looking down at your attire—which was your ‘this is my only class of the day and I don’t give a single shit’ outfit—you set a parameter, “Nothing fancy, please. I’m dressed like trash.”

“I just started cooking myself dinner and planned on leftovers anyway, so there should be more than enough for the both of us. At my place. That casual enough for you?”

“You live in some rich playboy penthouse, so it’s still a bit fancy for me,” you retorted, but couldn’t turn down the invite. You really just needed to see him, “Send me your address, I’m on my way.”

“Are you walking?”

“I also have a subway card if required.”

“I can send Doyoung to come pick you up.”

“He gives me the heebie-jeebies, Kun,” you deadpanned, earning a light chuckle from the man over the phone. “I’d rather walk.”

“Very well, it should mostly be done by the time you get here.”

“Awesome. I’ll see you then.”

“I look forward to it.”

With that, you hung up, and almost immediately got a text with Kun’s address.

Surprisingly, it was only a ten-minute subway ride from the closest station, then another five-minute walk. Considering you were passed out the last time you’d gone to Kun’s place—which was only _yesterday_ you were now realizing—you had no way to really know if you were in the right place until you entered the lobby of the building. _This_ you remembered from when you left his place: the elegant marble floors and impressive gold hardware. The furniture was all finely made with velvet upholstery, and you had _just enough_ wits about you to feel ashamed for looking like you did while standing there.

Refusing to make eye contact with the person at the front desk, you walked over to the elevator and pressed the ‘up’ button. When the doors slid open to allow you in, you pressed the one for the very top floor, nervously shifting your weight between your legs when the elevator started going up. It took some time to reach the top floor, the _penthouse_ , the entire floor that Kun had to himself. The elevator deposited you in a short hallway that ended in a single door, which you knocked on.

Just a moment later, the door was swung open, Kun on the other side. He was dressed in a simple pair of dress slacks and button-up shirt, which had the top two buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A dish towel was slung over his shoulder as well. This man was too attractive for _your_ own good.

He stepped back from the door to let you in, “Hey, you got here in one piece.”

“I feel like I didn’t, but yeah,” you let out a deep sigh, shuffling inside.

“Come on, food’s almost ready,” Kun took you by the hand to lead you into the kitchen.

Once there, he had to let your hand go to finish chopping up a few vegetables then toss them into the pan on the stove. Whatever was in there smelled delicious, and your stomach growled. You leaned against the counter by the stove to watch him cook, rolling your neck to work out a kink that had formed there. Kun looked up from where he had been stirring the contents of the pan, eyes softening as they scanned your surely disgruntled face.

“You’ve definitely been thinking hard about a lot of things,” he declared, setting his spoon aside.

“How do you know?”

“Because,” he brought his hands up towards your face, his thumbs landing on the space between your brows. He gently rubbed at the crease you had there, forcing you to relax your features, “I can see that you’re carrying all those big thoughts right here.”

“It’s a long story,” you warned him, letting your eyes flutter closed as you enjoyed the soothing motions of his fingers along your forehead.

“I don’t mind.”

“Mm,” you acknowledged his statement with a hum, trying to piece your thoughts together into something coherent to tell Kun. “So now that I have my powers, Sicheng suggested that we all do some patrols. We being me, Taeyong, Jeno, Yuta, Johnny, Renjun, Sicheng, Jungwoo, and Yukhei. Jungwoo and Yukhei weren’t there the night you and Doyoung picked us up from the café, by the way.”

“I do know them, though. The Tsukumo-gami brothers. Jungwoo’s a… flute, and Yukhei’s a drum.”

Your eyes opened just the tiniest bit to look at him as you questioned, “How do you know them?”

“Most older Ayakashi in one area will know each other. Or at least _of_ each other.”

“How old _are_ you guys?”

“Jungwoo and Yukhei are older than me by a tenfold at least, but it still applies. They’re both well over a thousand years old. So comparatively, I’m a very spritely 196.”

This time your eyes fully snapped open at this information, “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” he confirmed. “You should ask your friends how old they are sometime, I think most of their answers would surprise you.”

“Noted.”

“Continue, Y/N.”

“Right,” you closed your eyes once more as he resumed his ministrations. “So Sicheng suggested that we all do some patrols together. They’re going to be two or three times a week, at night after everyone’s off work and out of class. Just you know… patrolling around the city and seeing what the Wraiths are up to. That’s not really my problem, though, I’m fine with the patrols.”

“So what’s bothering you?”

“After my class today, I ran into one of my classmates and his roommate. And it turns out my classmate is an Onmyoji too, and his roommate is one of his True Ayakashi. I brought this up at the little meeting tonight, thinking that they could help us, you know? But they all like freaked out when I mentioned Mark being an Onmyoji.”

Kun’s thumbs stopped for a split-second, but as soon as you opened one eye to look at him questioningly, he continued again.

“Why is that?”

“They think the Wraiths are becoming as powerful as they are because an Onmyoji is providing the power. And they think the Onmyoji is Mark.”

“I see.”

“I just don’t know how they can think he’s doing this without meeting him! Just because he’s an Onmyoji doesn’t mean he’s doing this, there could be another Onmyoji here doing it. Right?”

“Could be, yeah,” he agreed.

“And I don’t know Mark very well, but we’ve gotten lunch at the dining hall a couple times, and sit together in class, and I already told him that we could get lunch next week, I’d have to explain why I’m cancelling on him.”

“So you’re going to get lunch with him.”

You opened one of your eyes, sly smirk on your face, “Jealous, Kun?”

He laughed lightly, taking his thumbs off your forehead to instead tap the tip of your nose, “I don’t know, you’re in _my_ penthouse right now and not his.”

“I highly doubt that Mark has a _penthouse_. Him and Ten probably live in some tiny apartment like mine,” you snorted, following his movements with your eyes as he returned to the stove to stir it once more. “But I mean, I sit next to him in class, so I’ll see him then. And yeah, I’m still going to get lunch with him. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Is that so bad?”

“No, Y/N,” Kun set the spoon down to face you again, resting a hand tenderly on your cheek. “It’s not. That’s great of you.”

You brought a hand up to hold his steadfast against you, “Thanks, Kun.”

He leaned in, and you closed your eyes in anticipation of a kiss. You weren’t exactly wrong, but he pecked your forehead instead. When he pulled back and pretended to focus on the pan again, you narrowed your eyes at him, earning a snicker from him.

“Alright, alright,” he gave in, grabbing your chin and bringing your mouths together.

You melted into the kiss, moving your lips rhythmically against his. Honestly, you felt like you could kissed Qian Kun forever, you were utterly bewitched, and you loved it. He moved his hand from your chin to your hip to draw you in even closer, and you took the opportunity to loop your arms around his neck, effortlessly deepening the kiss.

Kun hummed against your lips, which only enticed you to kiss him even harder, eager for his approval. He pulled back slightly, planting one, two more soft, slow kisses on your lips before retreating, murmuring, “Food’s done.”

“Not hungry,” you locked your lips with his once more, and he gave in for just a moment before your stomach betrayed you, rumbling loudly. He disconnected your mouths with a chuckle.

“I think your stomach would care to say otherwise.”

With that, he broke away from you, turning the stove off and pulling the pan away from the hot burner.

“Traitor,” you growled at your stomach as Kun grabbed two plates from the cabinet.

“What do you want to drink? I’ve got water, sparkling water, flavored sparkling water, wine, whiskey.”

“Water’s just fine. Uh, normal water, by the way.”

“Got it.”

Kun set the two glasses down catty-corner to each other at the table, where two sets of utensils and napkins had been placed, then returned to the stove to plate the food. You sat at one of the seats, reaching out for your glass of water as you watched him expertly dish dinner out, then take the hand towel off his shoulder and drape it over the handle of the oven. He set the plates down as well, then joined you at the table.

“Thank you,” you said quietly, tapping your nail against the outside of the glass in your hand.

“Thank you for coming over,” Kun retaliated, picking up his own glass and tilting it towards you.

You took the hint, gently clinking your glasses together, the sound of it light in the air.

Your eyes spotted a long scar across his forearm, barely there, and you set your drink down to tap it with interest, “What’s this? A cooking accident? Knife got a little out of hand?”

Kun looked down at his forearm too, then chuckled, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe. I’m _one hundred and ninety-six_ , I’ve got more scars than I can count, and I can barely remember where most of them came from, honestly.”

“I see…”

After taking a sip of your drink, you picked up your fork and dug in. The meal that Kun had prepared was incredible, the flavors dancing across your tongue eloquently. Not to mention that the sight in front of you was even more delicious.

At that thought, you picked your water back up and chugged about half of it. You needed to _stop_. After all, you had an apartment to unlock for your Nekomata, who had no key of his own. You should’ve probably gotten him a key by now. _Shit._

“Sorry, give me a second,” you apologized to Kun as you brought your phone out.

Clicking on Johnny’s contact, you texted him.

[you: is taeyong still at the café?]

The Domeki was quick to reply.

[johnny: yeah, do you need to talk to him?]

[you: no, can you just let me know when he leaves?]

[johnny: uh, he probably shouldn’t]

[you: why?]

[johnny: yuta thought he needed to lighten up. some alcohol was consumed. turns out taeyong is a lightweight]

Just imagining a drunk Taeyong was rather entertaining to you, so you couldn’t even be mad at the others for getting him drunk. With a resigned smile tugging at your features, you responded.

[you: keep him for the night, please]

[johnny: i will. you want me to drop him off tomorrow or will you come pick him up?]

[you: i’ll pick him up whenever. don’t let him get into any trouble, please]

[johnny: i won’t, have a good night!]

[you: night, johnny. and tell him goodnight from me too, if he’s not passed out by the time you guys are done with him]

[johnny: will do!]

Now with that problem off your mind, you turned your phone back off and tucked it away.

“Sorry about that, I had suddenly remembered something that I had to take care of.”

“It’s fine,” Kun reassured you. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I just had left Taeyong at the café with the other guys, so I wanted to see how he was doing.”

“And how _is_ he doing?”

“He’s drunk for what I’m guessing is the first time in his life.”

He very coolly asked, “Do you have to go get him?”

“Not tonight,” you informed him coyly. “Johnny’s letting him spend the night.”

“How nice of Johnny.”

“I know,” you took a much smaller sip of your water this time. Your plates were both empty, you had no obligations to be home tonight. Admittedly, you weren’t exactly wearing something that oozed sex appeal, but the man in front of you _definitely_ was. Here goes nothing. “What about you, Kun? Are _you_ nice?”

His eyes narrowed in just the slightest, eyebrow raised as he seemed to be trying to figure out if you really were insinuating that. The corner of his mouth curled in the most enticing way as he leaned forward to declare, “For you? Absolutely.”

* * *

Waking up in possibly the most comfortable bed you’ve ever been in—silk sheets, memory foam, and all—you let out a yawn, stretching pleasantly before rolling over into another warm body. Kun sleepily lifted his arm to let you fully snuggle into his bare chest, draping it back over you to hold you close.

You were pretty sure you fell back asleep and woke up a couple more times before you were truly awake. Wiggling out of Kun’s grip, you sat up against the pillows, blinking as you slowly woke up more and more.

Kun’s eyes opened, and he propped himself up on his elbows to look over at you endearingly, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” you echoed with a satisfied smile.

“How’d you sleep?” He asked, voice gravelly and deep with sleep.

“Great. Your bed is so comfy.”

“You’re welcome to it anytime.”

You couldn’t help but smirk, “Good to know.”

“Of course,” Kun smiled, grabbing your hand to drop a kiss on your knuckles.

With him laid on his stomach, and the sheets falling to his lower back, your eyes were caught on a couple marks on his back. Old scars, thin lines that you wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t been so intently appreciating the man in front of you.

“What are these, Kun?” You questioned, delicately running your fingertip over one.

“Oh, almost forgot about those,” he turned on his side, hiding them back away from you. “Old injury. I’m 196—”

“You’ve got plenty of scars, and you can’t remember where most of them came from,” you finished, paraphrasing his reasoning from last night when you’d asked him about his forearm scar.

From that previous angle you had also clearly seen his bond mark, three simple pine trees, and noticed that instead of the bold, black lines of your own lotus blossom, they were a faint grey. Maybe different bond marks were all different colors depending on the Onmyoji who had them?

You frowned, about to question him about it when he slowly sat up, making his way up your arm with a trail of gentle kisses. When he got to your shoulder, you tilted your head to give him access to your neck, fluttering your eyes shut as he took full advantage of this. He’d just reached your jawline when he innocently offered, “Breakfast?”

His breath ghosted over the spot on your skin left wet from his lips laving it over in the moment prior, making a shiver go down your spine. You turned your head to properly kiss him, connecting your mouths hastily. Kun had no qualms with your lack of a reply, large hands immediately gripping at your sides to pull you onto his lap, a much better angle.

When you finally needed air, you pulled back just slightly, both your breathing heavy and intermingling in the very little space between you.

“Sure,” you replied just as innocently, hopping off his lap with the previous topic of conversation completely kissed from your mind.

Kun groaned as he shook his head, clearing his mind to think properly again, “Alright, I deserved that.”

You simply gave him a mirthful grin in response as you gracefully stepped out of the bed. Picking up a dark grey button-up you recognized as the one Kun had been wearing last night, and you slipped your arms through it. As you stood up, you haphazardly buttoned a few of the buttons, not quite caring if that right ones went into the right holes.

When you looked up, you saw that Kun had found himself a pair of sweatpants, and he was watching you with an amused smile, but also a certain darkness in his eyes.

“Looks good on you.”

“Thanks,” you walked over to him. “I’ve always wanted to wake up next to a handsome man and take his button-up shirt to wear while I watch him make me breakfast.”

“Good thing I’ve always wanted to wake up next to a beautiful girl and have her wear my button-up shirt while she watches me make her breakfast.”

“Glad we’re on the same page here.”

“Me too.”

Following him out the kitchen, you saw your hastily discarded dishes from last night still in the sink. As Kun searched through the fridge for something, you stood in front of the sink and started washing the dishes without a second thought.

“Oh, Y/N, you don’t have to do that,” Kun’s head was back out of the freezer, voice calling out to you disapprovingly.

“Because you have maids or something that do this?” You teased him back. “I don’t mind, really. It’s my way of saying thanks. You cook, I clean. So just say ‘thank you’ and make me breakfast”

He kissed your temple as he made his way by you with ingredients, “Thank you.”

Cleaning the dishes didn’t take long, and after fumbling with the door mechanism of his washing machine for an awkward amount of time, you stuck them in the dishwasher as well. Now with nothing to busy yourself with, you decided to fulfill the rest of your dream: _watching_ the handsome man you woke up next to make you breakfast while you wore his button-up shirt. Hopping up on the countertop beside the bowl of batter he had, you observed him scoop out and deposit the pancake batter onto the skillet.

“Mmm, pancakes,” you swung your legs as you peacefully watched him.

“So you approve?”

“Absolutely.”

A familiar buzz caught the attention of your ears. Your phone.

“Wasn’t mine,” Kun informed you. At your blank look, he explained, “Mine’s on silent.”

“Is that wise for some super important businessman?”

“You were coming over,” he shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world that he’d do that for you.

Completely caught off-guard by the genuine sweetness of his statement, you could only squeeze his forearm appreciatively before hopping off the counter. You searched around the kitchen and living room for wherever you had left your phone. Honestly one of the _last_ things on your mind the previous night was your phone, so you had no clue where it was.

Finally, as you had dug and stuffed your hand in between the couch cushions sometime later, you’d found it.

“Gotcha!” You breathed out in victory, plopping down to turn the screen on. Seeing the percentage from not being charged, you winced. Probably just enough to get you through the morning, you’d definitely have to charge it by the time the afternoon came around.

The buzz was a text from Johnny.

[johnny: taeyong’s up. i’ll feed him breakfast and give him the seo family secret hangover cure. come get him whenever you’re ready]

[you: thanks, i’ll be by in about an hour or so]

[johnny: sounds good]

When you looked back to the kitchen, you were pleasantly surprised to see Kun already setting two plates of pancakes at the breakfast bar. You eagerly stood up and sat at one of the stools, waiting patiently for him to finish up at the stove. He turned it off and set the pan aside, once again grabbing two glasses.

“What do you want to drink?” Kun asked over his shoulder as he went to open the fridge.

“Water again.”

He nodded, grabbing himself a jug of apple juice.

“You didn’t tell me you had apple juice last night!” You said accusatorily.

“Most people don’t have apple juice as an evening drink, I didn’t think to offer it,” he defended himself.

“Most people don’t categorize drinks by what time they typically have them either.”

“Do you want apple juice, Y/N?”

“Yes, please.”

With a fond shake of his head, Kun poured the apple juice into both glasses then set them down by the plates. When he finally joined you, sliding onto the stool beside you, you picked up your fork and dug in.

Remembering the text conversation you just had, you took a sip of your apple juice to wash down the food in your throat then said, “After this I’ve got to get going to pick up Taeyong.”

“I understand,” Kun nodded. “Do you want me to drop you off?”

“Sure.”

A lull fell in the conversation as you both ate, and your brain took this opportunity to wander off, most of your thoughts about the man in front of you. It really had just been a couple days since your first date, but you were so inexplicably infatuated with him for some reason. Speaking of your first date, you thought about his horns that you’d seen that night. They were rather interesting, all of your Ayakashi friends’ distinct features were.

“You know, you can have them out around me if you want,” you blurted out nonchalantly.

Kun tilted his head, swallowing the bite he’d just taken before asking, “What?”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot that I wasn’t saying all that aloud,” you said before going to elaborate. “I was thinking about your horns. You can have them out around me if you want, if that’s more comfortable for you. I really don’t mind. The others usually have some Ayakashi features out if it’s just us. Taeyong always has at least his ears out at home, Renjun’s eyes are usually their true colors, Jeno’s wings are always out, stuff like that, you know. Either in their true form or closer to it than their human forms. So if you want, I don’t mind the horns.”

“Thanks, Y/N,” he smiled, reaching out to take hold of your hand and squeeze it affectionately. “But one form isn’t more comfortable for me than another. I don’t really have a preference. I’ll keep that in mind, though.”

“Of course,” you smiled back. “Just thought I’d let you know.”

Kun rubbed his thumb over your knuckles before changing the topic, “So you and Taeyong live together? How’d that happen?”

“When I had just finished moving into my apartment, my very first place by myself, I figured it was finally time that I could get myself a pet. I went to the shelter and picked out this very cute white cat that I named Tama. Long story short, I had paid a hundred bucks worth of adoption fees for a _Nekomata_ named _Taeyong_ instead of a _housecat_ named _Tama_.”

“He was seriously posing as a stray cat at the shelter?”

“Yeah, I guess. And I mean, once I found out what he was, I couldn’t really kick him out on the streets, so he still lives with me.”

“How old is he?”

“The shelter guessed about five,” you shrugged. “I haven’t asked him since I found out who he actually is, though. He doesn’t _look_ that old, but I guess for Ayakashi that means nothing because _you’re_ 196 and _look like_ you’re in your 20’s.”

“Nekomatas have a similar lifespan to that of a human, actually,” Kun informed you, and you tucked that information away; not all Ayakashi have the same lifespans. “So he’s probably around the age he looks.”

“So, twelve, cool.”

The man snorted at your jest, “Seems about right.”

“Why were you asking?”

“Just curious. I’d like to meet him sometime, you know.”

“Okay, yeah. Of course,” a smile played across your lips at the dedication and investment he was already showing. “We can all get dinner together or something.”

“Good,” Kun squeezed your hand that was he was still holding before he leaned forward to peck your cheek.

* * *

Dressed back in your own clothes a short while later, you were sitting at the couch to pull your shoes back on. Kun came out of his bedroom in a simple t-shirt and jeans, which somehow took your breath away just as much as his suit the other night had.

“Ready to go?” Kun asked, coming to stand beside the couch.

“Yep,” you stood up, immediately reaching to lace your fingers with his. “How long of a drive from here to Lenticular?”

“Should only be about ten or fifteen minutes depending on traffic.”

“Okay.”

Opening your phone, you gave Johnny a heads-up that you were coming.

[you: on my way, be there in ten or fifteen]

[johnny: see you soon!]

A little less than fifteen minutes later, and Kun’s car was parked in the only empty spot available near Lenticular. It was a couple storefronts down from the café, actually, but you kind of preferred it that way. No need to explain the mysterious car that dropped you off if nobody saw it.

You turned to him to say goodbye, “Thanks, Kun.”

“Of course, Y/N,” Kun smiled back at you. “Thanks for coming over last night.”

“Thanks for having me.”

“I’ll see you again soon?”

“Absolutely,” you confirmed, already looking forward to the next time you saw him.

“Good,” he leaned over the console, and you eagerly let him press his lips against yours. The kiss was short, but left you satiated long enough to finish your goodbyes for real.

“Bye, Kun.”

“Bye, Y/N.”

Wrapping your hand around the handle, you opened the door, and climbed out of the car. Giving him a final wave, you set off down the sidewalks, listening for when the car left. It wasn’t until you had opened the door to Lenticular that you heard Kun pull out of his parking spot.

Inside the café, there was an elderly couple sharing brunch, and you were met by Renjun at the host’s stand.

“Upstairs,” Renjun spat at you as soon as you had approached him.

“What?”

“Taeyong. He’s upstairs with the instrument brothers,” he informed you with no semblance of a greeting.

“Good morning to you too, Renjun,” you scoffed out of habit more-so than actual offense. “So Jungwoo and Yukhei stayed here too?”

“Yeah, Johnny decided to offer up our _tiny_ fucking loft to them for the foreseeable future. You know, since Jungwoo is… you know.”

So they really were committing to the patrols, and Jungwoo to being one of your True Ayakashi.

“Oh, okay. Thanks, Renjun.”

Walking past him and the purple curtain dividing the dining area from the hallway, you decided to pop in and say hi to Johnny before heading upstairs. The door to the kitchen was open, and you stepped in, eyes immediately finding Johnny at the stove.

“Morning, Johnny!” You greeted him cheerfully.

Johnny turned around, bright grin on his face already, “Hey, morning, Y/N!”

“You don’t seem hungover at all,” you commented.

“I’m not. The only ones who really got shitfaced last night were Taeyong and Renjun.”

“That’s why he was extra prickly, huh?”

“Yeah, not only does he have a hangover, but he’s also pissed at me for making him work with one,” the Domeki said plainly, not seeming to sympathize much with his employee. “I told him last night, he can drink as much as he wants, but unless he’s dead the next day, he’s working. He agreed.”

“He did it to himself.”

“Exactly,” Johnny lowered the heat of the stove. “So how are you? Much more rested?”

“Yeah, I slept really well last night.”

“I’m _sure_ you did.”

“Why’d you say it like that?”

“You gained your powers the night before _and_ got some last night, Y/N. Of course you were able to sleep like a baby.”

“How—”

“Hickeys.”

You slapped your hand up to your neck. Then the other side of your neck. Then your jawline. You hadn’t looked in a mirror yet, so you didn’t know which of the love bites that Kun had left last night had actually manifested into proper hickeys this morning. All of them could have, for all you knew.

Johnny oh-so-helpfully pointed to halfway up the right side of his neck and his jawline, and you instinctually covered it with your hands.

“Ah.”

“Hey, I’m happy for you, Y/N.”

With a roll of your eyes, you dropped your hands down and replied, “Thanks, Johnny.”

“So was it a one-night stand or are you actually dating them?”

“I’ve gone on a couple dates with him. We’re going to see each other again.”

“Nice,” your friend grinned broadly.

“So what was the Seo family secret hangover cure you gave Yong?”

“Hot sauce, whiskey, and soy sauce in a shot glass. He didn’t want it.”

“I wouldn’t either, it sounds like a recipe for puking. You didn’t like force it down his throat, did you?”

“I would never. Jungwoo is upstairs with him giving him some spiked tea or whatever now,” he gestured towards the stairs. “I won’t hold you up anymore, go get your boy. I’m surprised he hasn’t smelled you and ran down here yet.”

“Me too. Probably the hangover’s doing.”

“Probably.”

With that, you took leave of the kitchens, heading up the staircase to the loft that Johnny and Renjun lived in. And Jungwoo and Yukhei as well, for the time being. In the small living area, Taeyong was sitting on the couch, hunched over and holding his head as Jungwoo was perched beside him, tea set on the coffee table in front of them. Yukhei was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, utilizing the space left to have a small handkerchief spread out, what looked to be a disassembled watch laid along it as he tinkered with parts in his hands.

“Good morning, everybody!” You announced yourself, causing Taeyong’s head to snap up. He immediately regretted that, letting out a sharp yelp then a whine as he dropped his head back into his hands again.

“Good morning, Lady Onmyoji,” Jungwoo returned your greeting calmly. “Would you like some tea? I was just about to give Taeyong something for his headache.”

“Is the whole pot spiked?”

“No, just Taeyong’s cup has the medicine in it.”

“Then, sure,” you came around to stand by the table, accepting the cup from Jungwoo.

He then picked up another and held it out to Taeyong, “Here you go, Taeyong. It will help with your headache.”

With a grumble, Taeyong took the teacup and took a hesitant sip. Then immediately gulped it all down. He demeanor quickly changed, now able to properly sit up and look up at you. The Nekomata quickly leapt to his feet, throwing his arms around you, “Good morning Y/N!”

“Morning, Yong,” you chuckled, narrowly avoiding spilling your tea.

You heard him take a deep sniff, and when you broke from the hug, he had a clear look of distaste on his face. Okay, so you hadn’t showered last night, but you didn’t think you smelled all _that bad_.

“So you two are staying here?” You turned your focus to the two brothers before taking a sip of your tea.

“Yes, Johnny and Renjun have been very kind to open their home to my brother and I,” Jungwoo answered.

“I’m sure Renjun didn’t love this idea.”

“No, Renjun did not seem enthused about this, but as the property technically belong to Johnny, he was overruled.”

“Anyway, Taeyong and I should get going, we’ve got errands to run. We’ll see you two Monday for the first patrol.”

“Actually, do you think you would be able to come here tomorrow so I could teach you some Onmyoji incantations that will be useful for Monday?”

“Sure, yeah, I can do that.”

“Wonderful, I will see you tomorrow. Farewell, Lady Onmyoji, Taeyong.”

You and Taeyong gave the brothers your own goodbyes before descending down the stairs, giving Johnny and Renjun passing farewells as well. Out on the sidewalks, Taeyong shoved his hands in his pockets and spat out, “You smell like him.”

“What?” You whipped your head around to look at the Nekomata in confusion.

“The guy you went on a date with the other night,” he retorted harshly. “You smell like him again. _And_ you’re wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday. You said you were tired and going straight home.”

You were able to formulate some kind of defense, albeit vague, “I had a change of plans.”

“Is that why you wanted me to stay at the café?”

“No, Taeyong. I mean…” you took a moment to compile your thoughts, well aware that you hadn’t been entirely transparent with your friend as of late. “That was part of it, yes, but I also offered for you to stay because you need your own life apart from me. I shouldn’t have lied to you, and I’m sorry for that.”

Taeyong didn’t reply, nose still turned up as he refused to look at you, all too interested in the passing storefronts.

So you continued, “But you deserve to hang out with your friends without me. Which is why today we’re going to get you your very own key. You won’t need to rely on _me_ to come and go from the apartment anymore.”

“And you won’t be burdened by me anymore,” he scoffed accusatorily.

“Taeyong, you are _not_ a burden. You are one of my favorite people ever, Yonggie. But we don’t need to be together _all the time_. I shouldn’t be the center of your world anymore. I’m not your owner, you’re not my cat. We’re friends and we live together. Our lives absolutely will _include_ each other but shouldn’t be entirely _about_ each other. Does that make sense?”

“So your life’s going to be about him instead.”

“If you can’t listen to what I’m actually trying to say and have a productive, mature conversation then we’re done talking about this for now,” you shook your head, stopping the two of you at a store and pulling the front door open for him. “Come on, this place prints keys.”

* * *

Back at your apartment, you stopped outside the front door and look over at Taeyong expectantly.

“What?” He scowled.

“Test your key!” You encouraged him.

The Nekomata grabbed the key that had been hanging around his neck since you’d left the shop, sticking it in the lock. He twisted, and it clicked open.

“Yay! Your own key!”

There was a hint of a smile on his lips as he looked down at the object in his hand and opened the door, “Yeah. It works. Thanks, Y/N.”

“You’re welcome, Taeyong.”

Inside, you toed off your shoes and headed for your bedroom, fully intending on getting out of your old clothes, taking a shower, and changing into a fresh outfit before running your weekend errands.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Taeyong blurted out from behind you. “About earlier. I was cranky and—”

“Hungover?” You finished for him, amusement in your tone as you turned back around to face him.

“Yeah, that too.”

“I forgive you, Yonggie.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m going to shower and change then go grocery shopping, if you want to come with me.”

“Jungwoo’s tea fixed my headache, but I still feel pretty bad,” he admitted, dropping onto the couch, and turning into his cat form. “I think I’m just gonna stay here and catnap it off.”

“Okay,” you accepted. “Have fun with that.”


	3. [three]

Between classes, your new schedule of patrolling that took some getting used to, and more advanced training sessions with Jungwoo, you’d only been able to go on a couple dates in two weeks with Kun, a steep decline from your previous pace. Although this one was probably a little more typical. You wouldn’t really know, third dates and beyond were pretty much uncharted territory for you.

For tonight’s patrol, you were paired up with Sicheng, something that you couldn’t really complain about. You’d patrolled with him before, and always enjoyed the one-on-one with your friend. Seeing the others off at the front door of Lenticular, the two of you split from the group and took off on your predetermined route.

“Do you think it was a good idea pairing up Taeyong, Yuta, and Jeno?” You questioned your friend.

“The pairings are semi-random. The only factor taken into consideration is you,” Sicheng admitted, explaining his process. “I typically pair you up with two of us, unless it’s me or Jeno, then I feel safe with just one of us with you. Jeno and I are objectively the most powerful.”

“Well, maybe another consideration should also be ‘how likely are they to rip each-other’s throats out,’” you suggested, thinking of how Taeyong didn’t like Yuta for their previous spat over scenting you, neither Yuta nor Jeno liked each other for reasons unknown to you, in addition to Taeyong still not forgiving Jeno for his snarky treatment of him the night he revealed his true form to you as an Ayakashi. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

“I’m sure the three of them will be fine. For the most part.”

“For the most part,” you echoed his qualifier with some amusement in your voice.

“So, what do you sense, Y/N?”

“You don’t need to keep testing me on this, Sicheng, I’m way past that at this point.”

“If it’s so easy, tell me.”

“Fine,” you took a deep breath before beginning to recite the information you could feel.

You could only sense supernatural creatures: other Onmyoji, Ayakashi, and Wraiths, not humans. Which was fine, you never really _needed_ to be able to sense humans. To compare sensing supernatural creatures to wavelengths, Ayakashi were generally a higher wavelength than Onmyoji and Wraiths, and within that, each kind of Ayakashi had a unique feeling as well. However, from what you could tell by your own observations with your friends, most Ayakashi couldn’t tell sense any differences between the kinds of Ayakashi. Only the older and more powerful ones, Jungwoo, Yukhei, and Kun could. Theoretically. You’d only ever _seen_ Kun put it into practice, and Jungwoo had brought it up when helping you sense the different wavelengths of Ayakashi. Yukhei was just old in general, so you figured he could probably do it too.

“Ignoring you literally right here, I can sense the worrisome threesome two blocks west and one block south of us; Johnny and Yukhei are seven blocks east and two blocks north of us; Jungwoo and Renjun are three blocks south and four blocks east of us;”

Wraiths were a lower wavelength than Ayakashi and Onmyoji, and just generally felt _evil_. The strength of the Wraith corresponded to the amplitude of the wave. Less powerful Wraiths, ones typically possessing humans, had a smaller wave. More powerful Wraiths, ones free of human hosts or creating their own human visage, had larger waves.

“There’s seven Wraiths within a thousand-foot radius of us, including two in the alley just up ahead of us and three that we passed a couple blocks back. Happy?”

“You’re scary accurate with that stuff, Y/N.”

“Do you not have a supernatural radar constantly going in your head too, Sicheng?”

“I do, but it’s not as… detailed as yours. I’m also impressed with how quick your abilities have progressed.”

“Jungwoo says I’m his best student that he’s ever had, but I’m not sure if he’s just trying to flatter me, or if I’m his _only_ student that he’s ever had and therefore the best.”

“Or maybe he’s telling the truth and he’s had other students, but you really are the best he’s ever had,” Sicheng suggested.

“I haven’t considered that.”

“Why not?”

You shrugged, “I don’t know, I don’t really have a metric of Onmyoji to compare myself to.”

“So you’ve been staying away from Mark?”

“We sit next to each other in class, it’s hard to _avoid_ him. But I’m not going out of my way to see him or anything,” you said truthfully.

After getting lunch with him that one day like you’d promised, you hadn’t sought him out outside of class, despite his repeated invites for you two to hang out and talk Onmyoji stuff at his and Ten’s apartment. Your excuses were going to wear thin soon, but thankfully he only would ask about once a week. You didn’t completely believe your friends’ worries about Mark, but you trusted them well enough to take _some_ heed of their warnings.

“Good. All I want is for you to be safe in this situation, Y/N.”

“Thanks, Sicheng.”

Your phone buzzed in your pocket, and you did a mental check of the nearest Wraiths. The ones you’d just passed by hadn’t given you any trouble, and the next closest ones were a few minutes away. You had time to check a text.

[kun: I know you’re on one of your patrols right now, so answer me whenever you get the chance. Would you like to come over tomorrow night? I want to cook for you again.]

A fond smile came to your lips as you read the text.

[you: i’d absolutely love to. depending on when you get off work, i’m available starting at five, if you’d want to hang out beforehand as well]

[kun: My last meeting is done at four-thirty, however I need to go grocery shopping for a couple things]

[you: i love grocery shopping]

[kun: You want to come grocery shopping?]

[you: what can i say, i’m a sucker for that domestic shit]

[kun: You’re more than welcome to join me. I’ll pick you up after your class then?]

[you: from my apartment or campus?]

[kun: My office building is closer to your campus than your apartment]

[you: campus it is, sounds like a grocery date]

[kun: Perfect. I’ll let you get back to your patrol now, stay safe]

[you: i will, see you tomorrow]

“Who was that?” Sicheng’s voice startled you from your lovestruck trance. “If you don’t mind telling me of course. I’m sorry, that was nosy of me, you don’t have to tell me.”

This was the perfect opportunity. Better sooner than later. Tell Sicheng who exactly you were dating, get it over with. The sooner you told him, the sooner you could (hopefully) help him get over whatever prejudice he had against Oni.

“That was the guy I’ve been dating,” you started off.

“Planning a date?” Your friend teased you, mouth quirking up in amusement.

“Yeah, actually. Sicheng, I have something I need to tell you.”

“You can tell me anything, Y/N,” Sicheng told you sincerely, then his eyebrows shot up. You knew what he’d sensed, you’d sensed it too. “After this, okay?”

The next closest Wraiths to you two had suddenly gotten much closer much faster, and were right there as the two of you turned a corner. They were blocking the sidewalk, their stances making it very clear that it was on purpose. You stopped, standing confidently beside Sicheng. The very first rule: don’t start fights. Engage only if they engage first.

Judging by the newspaper box you just had to duck to avoid getting hit by, they wanted to engage. Utilizing a nearby pond, Sicheng flung a ball of water at the Wraith that had attacked first, sending its human form flying back. That particular part of the city was bordering on a local park, devoid of patrons this late at night.

“Y/N,” Sicheng said your name pointedly, holding back the two Wraiths with a simple wall of water that neither of them could get through, it was constantly changing shape and size to block them as they tried to run around it, jump over it, crawl under it, or just plain run _at_ it. In all honesty, he seemed just a bit bored. Which was valid; two normal Wraiths possessing human bodies were no challenge for him. He just couldn’t _banish_ them himself.

“Yeah, got it,” you announced, clearing your throat before beginning your incantation. “Evil spirits of days past heed these powers of the Onmyoji. Flee this place for eternity!”

And just like that, the Wraiths were gone. Sicheng dropped the wall of water, a small spray hitting you in the face. You didn’t mind, it was refreshing. The Mizuchi dragon then replaced it back into the pond, leaving just a small amount hovering in an orb just above his hand, a single tendril loosely wrapped around his wrist. Just in case.

“Thanks,” you said as you continued your way down the sidewalks, your previous conversation entirely forgotten by both of you.

“Of course.”

* * *

Bounding out of your Chemistry lab, with your head full of thoughts of Kun—who you were about to see—you were barely aware of your surroundings, leading you to slam right into someone.

“Watch it!” They hissed at you, and you bounced back from them.

“Oh! I am so sorry!” You apologized profusely, finally seeing the face of the person you’d bumped into. Ten.

“Of course it’s you, baby Onmyoji,” he rolled his eyes, seeming more annoyed than pissed off thankfully.

“Sorry Ten!” You tried to leave, but he called out to you.

“You’ve been avoiding Mark.”

“What? No. We sit together in class.”

Ten took a couple steps towards you, face much too serious as he said accusatorily, “He’s been inviting you over, right?”

Not loving where this conversation was going, or the strange glint in Ten’s eyes, you stepped away from him, “Sorry, I’m in a rush! Got to go!”

And with that, you practically sprinted out of the Science building, narrowly avoiding even more collisions with other students. You didn’t slow down until you reached the parking lot closest to the Science building, where you had told Kun to park. His car was nearly front and center, still running. You jogged up to it thankfully, throwing open the passenger-side door and sliding in.

“Hey!” Kun greeted you with a peck on the cheek.

“Hey,” you echoed, definitely sounding out of breath as you then buckled yourself up.

“Did you run here or something?”

“Maybe.”

“You really that excited to go grocery shopping?” He teased you with a chuckle, putting the car in reverse to back up out of the parking space.

“Maybe I’m just that excited to go grocery shopping with _you_ ,” you shot back.

He reached over the center console to grab your hand, rubbing his thumb over yours tenderly, “Me too.”

* * *

Back at his penthouse, you turned your phone on silent without any hesitation. You didn’t want to be bothered by Wraiths, or any of your Ayakashi friends, or, God forbid, _Na Jaemin_ tonight. It was one of those nights that you wanted to yourself—and Kun of course. You took your regular spot on his kitchen counter to watch him cook, fully enjoying the view. He finished arranging the ingredients in a pan, then put it in the oven, and set the timer. When he stood back up to face you, he said, “That’s going to bake for an hour.”

“Oh what could we possibly do for a whole hour?” You sighed sarcastically as you pulled at Kun’s shirt to bring him towards you, already having a few ideas of your own.

He gave into your tugging, settling in between your legs, his own hands coming to grip at your hips as he smashed his lips against yours. You immediately responded, looping your arms around his neck to draw him in closer. Kun kissed your breath away like he did every time, and you eagerly did the same to him.

He broke apart to rest his forehead on yours for a moment, and you took the opportunity to tease him breathily, “Fifty-nine minutes now, Kun.”

“I know.”

* * *

Dinner was delicious, and you ate it not at his kitchen table, but on his couch, facing each other cross-legged. You figured he’d be worried about staining his couch, but you guessed that a cleaning service wasn’t out of his price range, nor would a new couch be too pricey for him either if it came to that. After taking your last bite, you reached over to set it on the coffee table, then placed your hands in your lap to patiently wait for Kun to finish his own plate. He wasn’t far behind, and as soon as he’d finished putting them in the sink and returned to the couch, you wasted no time in snuggling up against him.

“That was really good, thank you, Kun,” you murmured, grabbing his hand to lace your fingers through his.

“You’re welcome,” he dropped a kiss on the crown of your head. “I love cooking for you.”

“Lucky me then.”

Kun half-heartedly chuckled, but you could tell his mind was somewhere else.

“You’re thinking about things, aren’t you?”

He suddenly straightened up, prompting you to sit up as well and face him once more, head tilted curiously. Readjusting how he was holding your hand, he didn’t drop it, dragging his thumb over yours once more.

“There’s something I’m sure you’ve thought about or has been brought up to you,” Kun began, and you felt some worry start worming its way through your veins, your heart pumping noticeably faster. “And even if it hasn’t, I still wish to address it.”

“What is it?” You asked, trying to keep your voice level.

“I _did_ know that you were an Onmyoji when we met. However, that’s not the reason I gave you my number. I want to make sure you know that, and that I have no sorts of ulterior motives or games here.”

You nearly passed out from relief right then and there. Never had you even considered that, to be perfectly honest.

Kun continued, however, “I’m unsure of what some of your friends may have said about me to you, Sicheng in particular, but I really do quite like you, Y/N.”

Right, Sicheng did _not_ like Kun, and he made sure Kun knew that very well the last time they’d seen each other.

“Sicheng hasn’t said anything, Kun, none of them have.”

“Really?”

You sheepishly admitted, “Mostly because I haven’t told them…”

“Oh.”

“They all generally sort of know that I’m sort of seeing someone,” you quickly went to elaborate, “but _this_ ,” you gestured vaguely between the two of you, “is none of their business. I don’t tell them about every person I’ve gone on dates with.”

“Would you tell them about your boyfriend, then?”

“ _Are_ you my boyfriend?” You teased, gentle smirk tugging at your lips, hiding your true anxiety over the question.

Kun took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders before asking endearingly, “Y/N, can I call you my girlfriend?”

“Only if I get to call you my boyfriend.”

“Of course.”

You couldn’t help but giggle to yourself as you leaned forward, pressing your lips against his. He went to cup your cheek and kissed you back for a moment, mouth perfectly slotted against yours.

He broke away mid-kiss, instead touching his forehead to yours, thumb tenderly stroking your skin, “Oh… what are you doing to me, Y/N?”

“Uh, right now, I’m _trying_ to kiss you,” you quipped back.

Kun gave in for a moment, kissing you again before pulling back to finish his thought, “I _mean_ … I’m 196 years old and you’re making me sound like a high schooler again.”

“Maybe it’s not so bad not to act your age all the time.”

“I said I _sound_ like a high schooler, not that I’m _acting_ like one.”

Sitting back on your heels, you fully broke the momentary trance you were both in, his hand falling from your face. Your eyebrow was quirked up mischievously as you asked, “Do you want to?”

“How do you mean?”

“When _I_ was in high school, me and my best friend would skip school, buy up a bunch of cheap junk food from some corner store, and drive out to the coast together for the day.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“You want to do it?”

“What? _Tomorrow_?”

“No, right now, and maybe also a little into tomorrow.”

Kun sighed shortly, “Y/N, it’s nearly midnight already, I have a meeting tomorrow morning and you have classes.”

“Class, singular,” you corrected him. “Which is only a lecture on a subject I already know, not anything I need to be there for. And my professor doesn’t take attendance. I responsibly skip, don’t worry. What about you? A Friday can’t be _too_ jampacked, it’s the end of the work week. Can _you_ responsibly skip, Mr. Vice President Qian?”

You had scooted back towards him while you spoke, dragging your fingertips up his arm until your hand could rest on his chest enticingly. Kun took a deep breath, eyes glued to your fingers as they had worked their way up. When they came to a stop, he closed his eyes and rolled his neck as he took a moment to genuinely contemplate this.

“There’s a few papers Doyoung could take care of for me, and the meeting can be rescheduled for Monday. That would actually be better because I know Wong Kunhang hasn’t finished his presentation yet because his mom’s been in the hospital, this will give him a couple more days to finish it up… yes,” he finally came to the end of his musings, reaching the exact conclusion you’d hoped for. “I’ll let Doyoung know and have him tell the rest of the employees. Perfect.”

You shot to your feet, tugging on Kun’s hand to pull him off the couch as well, “Let’s _go_!”

“Where, exactly?” He questioned, following you towards the front door nonetheless.

“I know a ratty cornerstore or two around here. I want a slushie! Oh, and Twizzlers!”

Kun went along with your spur-of-the-moment plan, driving the two of you to a nearby convenience store—where he promptly bought you a slushie and pack of Twizzlers in addition to his own snacks—then set out onto the highway, the fastest way to the coast. You were sat in the passenger seat, delightedly sipping on your slushie, one hand holding his over the console as you watched the passing scenery. Kun’s music was playing over the speakers, a different playlist than he had put on earlier when he picked you up from campus.

“What’s this playlist called?” You questioned, head bobbing to the soft tune playing. It was a song about love and the little moments in life, one that made you feel warm inside, almost as much as Kun’s response did.

“For Y/N,” he answered simply.

You squeezed his hand a little tighter, your words failing you in that moment. Thankfully, he seemed to understand—or just wanted to fluster you even more—as he brought your hand up to brush his lips over your knuckles tenderly.

* * *

Kun pulled off the highway to park at an overlook just a few feet away from a walkway leading down to the beach. The whole area was empty, which was reasonable, as it was definitely past midnight at this point. He turned the car off, and you immediately went to hop out. Taking his hand back in yours, you were practically vibrating with excitement. And maybe a little bit of a sugar rush. A Twizzler hung out between your lips as you chewed on the third of it that was in your mouth.

With a fond smile on his features, Kun reached up to grab the other end of the candy, easily pulling it from your teeth. You pouted as he took his own bite, then offered the rest back out to you. Instead of taking it in your hand, you opened your mouth like a baby bird, and he placed it back between your lips with a slight chuckle.

You swallowed the remainder of the Twizzler right as the two of you reached the end of the path and beginnings of the beach itself. You stopped to toe off your shoes, letting go of Kun’s hand before declaring, “Race you to the water!”

“Hey!” He called after you, having not only his shoes but also his socks to get off, in addition to no prior warning.

His footsteps soon sounded behind you, and you put on another burst of speed desperately. He was gaining on you, but you managed to just reach it, the sound of victory being the splash of the water beneath your feet. Pivoting around to face your boyfriend, you were grinning wildly, exhilaration from the short race in every one of your breaths.

Kun stopped just short of the water, the tide barely washing over the very front of his feet as he stood with his hands on his hips, pretending to not be amused by your questionable circumstances around winning.

“Problem?” You asked innocently.

He seemed about to say something, but shook his head, “Nope. Not at all.”

“Good. Then come on,” you waved him over as you stepped further into the water.

“Neither of us are wearing bathing suits.”

“So?” You scoffed, continuing to walk further out, the waves officially licking at the bottom of your shorts.

“So, I don’t want to get my clothes wet.”

“Why not?”

“Because then they’ll be wet.”

“What’s wrong with your clothes being wet?”

“They’ll be _wet_.”

“Wet things dry.”

Kun seemed about ready to argue something back, but paused. Apparently your point had resonated with him.

“Fine.”

As soon as he had agreed and began taking small steps forwards, you gleefully brought your foot up, kicking at the surface of the water to spray him. You succeeded in splashing his legs and halfway up his chest. He froze in place, hard eyes locked on you, and for a second you thought you’d gone too far. Until his mouth split into a wide grin and he was suddenly charging further into the water, straight at you.

You yelped in alarm when he grabbed you around the waist and tossed you over his shoulder like you weighed nothing. Right, Oni super strength or whatever.

He treaded further into the water before unceremoniously dropping you, your screech being cut short by the ocean filling your mouth. Standing up now waist-deep, you spat out the water in your mouth, nose wrinkling at the horrible taste.

“Uck!” You continued spitting into the water, wholly disgruntled now. “That was mean, Kun.”

“Sorry,” he semi-sincerely apologized, wrapping him arms around you to pull you against him.

“Mm, I’ll forgive you. If…”

“If…?”

You turned around in his hold, placing your hands on either side of his face. Leaning in just the tiniest bit, you whispered, “You let me push you over. After all, I’m soaked, and your hair is awfully dry.”

Kun snorted, “Alright, fine. I’ll let you push me over.”

Breaking away from him giddily, you readied yourself mentally. You lunged at him, pressing two hands to his chest, and pushed as hard as you could, utilizing your momentum from your short running start. Kun easily fell, just like he told you he would, and you took the opportunity to fully pounce on him, making _sure_ his hair got wet.

“Happy?” He asked as he stood back, and you nodded firmly.

Now fully drenched, he took a few steps back towards shore, you trailing behind. He stopped about shin-deep in the water before plopping down, propping himself up with his hands behind him in the sand. You sat down next to him, leaning to rest your head on his shoulder, and he rested his against yours.

The stars were out, and you smiled up at the twinkling lights, the cool water lapping up your torso. Your clothes would definitely need a good couple washes to get all the saltwater and grime out of them, but it was definitely worth it.

You were unaware of how long the two of you sat like that, silently enjoying each other’s company when goosebumps spread all over your skin, and you instinctually scooted closer to Kun, the warmest thing near you.

“Y/N, you’re shivering,” Kun stated, the frown audible in his voice as he placed a hand to your cheek. “The water’s too cold for you right now.”

A noncommittal noise was your response. You didn’t want the night to end yet.

He started shifting to stand up, grabbing your hands to pull you up as well, “Come on, I’ve got towels and stuff in my car.”

“You keep beach towels in your car?”

“Not quite beach towels, my gym bag is in the backseat.”

Following Kun back up the walkway, the cool breeze coming from offshore only made you colder. You grabbed your shoes on the way up, continuing on barefoot up to the small parking lot. He’d tossed his keys in his shoe, which he now brought out to unlock the car. Leaning into the driver’s side, he turned the car back on and cracked the windows a bit before opening the door to the backseat.

The playlist he’d made for you was once again floating through the air, and you found yourself swaying to the music as you waited for him to retrieve the two small gym towels he had.

“I’ve also got a spare suit or two in the trunk, once you’re dry enough,” he informed you, dabbing at his own face and neck with the towel.

“No point in drying off with wet clothes still on,” you muttered, looking up and down the road to see if anybody was passing by. Nope. You stood between the two open car doors and turned to face away from the street before peeling off your shirt, immediately swiping the towel over your dripping body. Next were your shorts, the skin underneath then wiped dry, then you finally took the towel to your hair.

“I’d like part of your suit now please,” you requested to Kun, looking down at your feet self-consciously. Yes, he’d seen you in states of more and less undress than this, but the public element was bringing a distinct warmth to your cheeks.

Kun was just down to his boxers as well, toweling himself down. He nodded, moving around the car to the trunk, retrieving two hangers, each with a complete suit hanging off them. He handed one to you, and you thanked him.

Once you had the button up shirt draped over your form, you felt comfortable taking off your rather absorbent bra, then buttoned the shirt up to cover yourself. The pants weren’t quite going to fit you figured, and you didn’t want to ruin his nice suit pants with your ocean-soaked underwear.

“Do you have gym shorts in your bag?” You asked Kun, and he immediately went to rifle through his bag once more.

“Yeah, here,” he tossed a pair to you, and you slid them on.

Once the two of you were in your final states of dress: you in one of his button-ups, suit jacket, and basketball shorts; and him in a button-up and dress slacks, you figured that he’d load the two of you into the car and drive you back.

But instead, Kun laid the wet clothes on the hood of the car, and closed the door to the driver’s side. He stepped on the backseat in order to be able to lay out his suit jacket on the roof, then hauled himself all the way up to sit on it.

He gestured for you to come up as well, “Come on.”

Planting your foot on the cushiony backseat, you heaved yourself up onto the roof, sitting on the suit jacket with him. Kun must have turned the heat in the car all the way up, because the roof was warm to the touch, seeping through the nice and dry suit jacket to your cool skin.

Kun maneuvered you around a bit until he was satisfied with how you were sitting: your back to him, his arms looped around your waist and chin hooked over your shoulder. The music was still floating up to your ears as the two of you sat there, and your chest swelled as you thought that this moment couldn’t get more perfect.

Lacing your fingers through his over your stomach, you sighed in contentment. He momentarily nuzzled his nose against your neck, the slightly ticklish feeling making you squirm before he relented, opting to press lazy kisses there instead.

“Good?” He ceased his kisses to instead rock the two of you side-to-side gently.

“Yeah,” you confirmed happily, turning your head to kiss his cheek. “So… you want me to tell my friends about my _boyfriend_.”

“Yes,” Kun sounded nearly self-conscious, but you couldn’t quite see if his cheeks matched his tone. “But only if you want.”

“Of course I do. I will.”

Most of them won’t like it, you knew that, but you didn’t care. You were so happy with Kun, and you wanted them to know about him. They were your friends, and you’d lied and/or omitted the truth to them enough times. They deserved to know what was actually going on.

“My turn.”

“For what?”

“So…” he mimicked your phrasing and cadence from before, “Responsibly skipping?”

You chuckled as you remembered your phrasing from earlier, “Right. Yep, responsibly skipping. Jaemin and I weren’t exactly the _most_ rebellious teenagers out there, we both still graduated in the top 10% of our class.”

“Jaemin…”

“My best friend, ever since we were little. I’ll introduce you two one day. Once I’ve burned all of the pictures he has of us in the bath as kids.”

“Is he… Na Jaemin, perhaps?” Kun guessed, and you nearly choked on your own tongue at this.

Shooting forward to be able to turn and properly look at him, your brows were furrowed and mouth slightly agape, “Yeah, how—?”

“He’s my personal shopper.”

“Oh my god!” The realization dawned on you right then, all of the pieces coming together in your mind. “ _You’re_ his customer that’s freaking loaded and tips him like 100%!”

“Guilty as charged,” he admitted with a bashful smile, probably at your particular phrasing.

“I always imagined whenever he brought you up that you were like a million years old.”

“I’m 196,” he pointed out.

You immediately argued back, “I know but— you know what I meant!”

“So _you’re_ Na Jaemin’s best friend that he talks about constantly.”

“Guilty as charged,” you quipped back, reaching out to thread your fingers with his. “Okay, question.”

“Yes?”

“Why do you tip him so much?”

“He’s a college student, I have the funds and he needs it.”

A wide grin came to your face, “You’re a really good guy, Qian Kun.”

“I like to think I try, thanks.”

“I do believe you’re succeeding.”

Kun didn’t respond, instead pulling you towards him until he could press his lips against yours, a reply that you couldn’t argue against.

* * *

You woke up with a crick in your neck. Most likely because you had fallen asleep in the backseat of a sedan with Kun last night. You groaned as you tried to untangle yourself to get in a more comfortable position for your spine when there was a sudden knock at the window beside your head, and you jumped. Your head hit the ceiling, and you cursed through clenched teeth at the pain.

The commotion had caused Kun to begin stirring, and he tried to pull you back into a snuggling position. But there was the man knocking at the car window to deal with. Not just any man, you realized as you got a better look. A traffic officer.

“Kun, wake up,” you hissed, shaking his shoulders as you desperately tried to get off of him and sit up correctly.

“Hm?” He grunted in confusion, and you shook him a bit harder.

“Traffic officer!”

He shot up, practically throwing you to the other side of the backseat, smacking your head once more, this time against the window.

“Shit, sorry, Y/N!” He seemed conflicted about whether to comfort you or deal with the police officer stifling his laughter from outside the car.

You waved him off, gesturing to the police officer. Kun got the hint, rolling down the window to speak to him.

“Hello, Officer,” he said as calmly and collected as possible. You didn’t know how he did it, he sounded just as confident as he did when he had asked you out. As if the officer hadn’t just caught the two of you in a very interesting situation.

“I saw your car pulled over and running, so I came to see if everything was okay. _Is_ everything okay here?” The man asked pointedly, eyebrow raised to let you know that no matter what either of you said, he’d already made up his mind about the scene before him.

“Yes, Officer. Sorry about that.”

“I’ll be back in ten minutes, you two better not be here then.”

“We understand, thank you, Officer.”

And with that, the traffic officer got back into his patrol car and pulled away. You let out a sigh of relief, able to sink back against the seat in relief. With him gone, Kun was able to properly check on you and your head injury.

“I’m fine, Kun,” you reassured him, shifting around to press a quick peck to his lips. “Good morning, by the way.”

“Not how I wanted to start my day,” he admitted, slightly disgruntled. “I’m just glad he didn’t ask to see my ID. A man in my position being caught in a situation like this would not be good.”

“Ah yes, how indecent of you. Being caught in the backseat of your car at an empty overlook with a girl. Truly scandalous.”

“We should get going back. He caught us remarkably late in the day.”

Looking to the time at the front of the car, you saw that it was nearly noon. Which was somewhat reasonable, the two of you didn’t fall asleep until probably around three or four in the morning. You’d lost track of the time last night, too caught up with each other.

“Right.”

After the two of you climbed out of the backseat and grabbed your clothes from the hood, you dropped into the front seats. Kun took one look at the dash and added, “I need to stop for gas, too.”

Leaving the car running for a little under twelve hours definitely was not the best choice, especially when it hadn’t started with a full tank. Reaching under your seat, you procured your half-eaten bag of Twizzlers and stuffed one in your mouth. You offered one out to Kun, and he accepted it.

“We need a real breakfast too,” he stated, reversing the car back out onto the road.

“I know. Ooh! We should do brunch, since we planned on skipping our real lives today anyway,” you suggested, entwining your fingers with his over the center console.

“Brunch sounds great. We’ll stop by your apartment for you to get changed first, okay?”

“Sounds good. Can we grab Taeyong while we’re there? Since you wanted to meet him. Unless you just want brunch to be us two, I don’t mind either way.”

“Of course Taeyong can come too,” Kun grinned. “Oh, and there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

You laughed nervously, “Way to make a girl freak out, Kun.”

“Sorry, it’s nothing bad,” he squeezed your hand. “I promise.”

“Then what is it?”

“You know how last night we were talking about how well I tipped Jaemin, and I said it’s because I could afford it and he’s a college student?”

“Yeah…”

“You’re a college student, _and_ you’re my girlfriend, and I can afford it, so I’d really like to do something to help provide for you. Tuition, rent, a new laptop if you need one. Something to help you out.”

Taking a deep breath, you thought this over. He sounded so genuine, and was so sweet, but you were hesitant to accept any sort of monetary gain from your relationship with him. You were just dating him for him, and you never wanted him to doubt that. Not to mention that you were doing just fine financially for the most part, your parents’ college fund for you and scholarships covering your tuition just fine, and your part-time job paid off your rent every month as well.

“Kun,” you breathed out, taking another moment to organize your thoughts so you didn’t offend him. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll feel guilty about you buying me a bunch of nice things or paying for my tuition or rent, I’ve got that stuff covered myself. So I’ll buy my own laptop, phone, pay for my tuition and rent and things like that, and you can spoil me with _experiences_. How about that? Nice dates, trips, things like that. Things we can enjoy _together_.”

Kun only took a split-second to evaluate this, “I still get to buy you _some_ things, right? Because I kind of already got you something…”

“What is it?” You asked cautiously. “And _where_ is it?”

“It’s at my apartment. It’s nothing big, I just saw a stuffed animal at the store the other day and it reminded me of you because it was cute, so I got it for you.”

A fond smile tugged at your lips, “I’ll accept little things like that, yes.”

“Then I believe we’ve come to an agreement.”

“Oh, does the professional businessman want to shake on it too? Have Doyoung draw up a contract for the both of us to sign?” You teased as he slowed down to a stop at a red light.

He turned to look at you, “No, I’ll accept a kiss instead.”

“Good,” you grinned before leaning over the console to give him the requested kiss, something you also very much wanted.

* * *

At your apartment, you knew Taeyong would be a bit neurotic since you hadn’t told him that you weren’t going to be home that night. He was starting to get used to nights without you, but you had always told him beforehand. So you knew he wouldn’t be the most calm when you got in, therefore you asked Kun to stay parked in front of your building and wait for you two there with his newly full tank of gas.

Testing your front door, it was unlocked, which made sense, Taeyong was probably in. What _didn’t_ make sense was that when you opened your door, you saw Sicheng pacing in your living room.

“Oh, hello,” you greeted him hesitantly.

You were barely able to close the door behind you when you were nearly knocked over by Taeyong throwing his arms around you. His shoulder knocked into your esophagus, and you coughed as your windpipe was hit.

“Woah, Taeyong,” you choked out, pushing him back a little bit. “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you I wasn’t going to be home last night.”

“Y/N, we had a patrol last night,” Sicheng informed you frankly, hands on his hips.

Realization dawned on you in that moment, your jaw dropping. _Shit_ , you had completely forgotten about your back-to-back patrol days that week.

“Oh my god, Sicheng, I am so, so sorry. I completely forgot about that.”

“I’m not upset that you missed the patrol, I’m relieved you’re okay. I _am_ upset that you made us all worry and think you were hurt or worse.”

“Shit, I am so sorry for making you worry, Sicheng,” you continued apologizing profusely. “I should have told you guys, or _really_ I should have gone to the patrol last night. I’m so fucking sorry, dude. I’ll apologize to the others myself as well. Oh, I feel so bad.”

“I truly am glad you’re okay, Y/N,” Sicheng’s features were less stern and more confused as Taeyong pulled back from you, and he took in your outfit. “Just curious as to where you were that would prompt you to be wearing that… and you smell like the ocean. You were at the beach? In a men’s suit? Or, part of a men’s suit and some basketball shorts?”

Taeyong drew back next to Sicheng before finally speaking up, arms crossed over his chest, “You were with him again.”

“Taeyong, not now,” you shook your head at the Nekomata’s accusation.

“Oh, so you and the guy are getting a bit more serious?” The Mizuchi dragon perked up at this. “Congrats, Y/N.”

“Yeah, we are,” you admitted, coming to the conclusion that it was time to start telling them about your boyfriend. That was what you’d told Kun you would do, and you really wanted to. Taking a deep breath, you began, “I have something to tell you. All of you.”

“You finally going to tell us that you’ve been going out with the Oni this whole time?” Taeyong spat out, wholly catching you off-guard.

“How did you—”

“I know what he smells like, Y/N. And you’ve come home reeking of him more times than I can count.”

Sicheng’s eyes widened as he seemed to be trying to process this, betrayal in his voice, “You’ve been going on dates with—”

“Qian Kun,” you confirmed. “Yes, I’m dating him.”

“Y/N—”

“I know you don’t like Oni, Sicheng, but—”

“It’s not that I _‘don’t like’_ ogres, Y/N.”

“Then what is it? Sicheng—”

“I _despise_ them.”

“Why? I’m trying to understand you here,” you pleaded with your friend, wanting nothing more than for all the important people in your life to get along. Or at least not hate each other.

“Never mind. I’ve got to go,” he went to shove past you towards your front door.

You grabbed his forearm, “Sicheng, please.”

“Date him. Fuck him. I don’t care, Y/N. As long as you’re happy.”

“I am, Sicheng. I just wish you’d tell me why you’re so butthurt about it.”

“I’ll leave it to you to tell the others yourself,” he forcefully shook your hand off him and threw open your door. “Bye.”

And with that, he stormed out of your apartment and slammed the door closed behind him, leaving you speechless in your living room.

A soft head of hair and two cat ears were pushing against your shoulder, Taeyong meekly apologizing, “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“You don’t like him either, Taeyong. Do you?”

“Not really.”

“Of course,” you pivoted away from him towards your bedroom. You still had Kun waiting for you downstairs.

“Y/N.”

You whipped around to face him, your own anger at the prejudice with which your friends were treating Kun boiling to the surface, “No, look, Taeyong. He’s really important to me, and not only that, but he _wants_ to meet you. He _wants_ to get to know you and try to be friendly with you. Because he knows we’re friends and we live together, and he actually _cares_ about me and wants to put in effort to be friends with my friends too. But you don’t. Just leave me alone right now, Taeyong.”

Taking off away from him, you shut your bedroom door behind you with a _bang_. You changed into a suitable brunch outfit in record time, nearly hitting Taeyong with your bedroom door when you threw it back open to leave. You shouldered past him towards your front door.

“W-where are you going?” He questioned with a squeak and a stutter.

You stopped with your hand gripped around the door handle, “Brunch. With Kun. I was going to invite you, but since you apparently despise him too, what’s the fucking point?”

* * *

Kun’s car door closed behind you with a slam, and he immediately picked up on your sour mood and the fact that you were alone, “What happened? Taeyong didn’t want to come?”

“Yeah,” you confirmed, yanking the seatbelt over you viciously. “He apparently hates you.”

“I also saw Sicheng leaving the building…”

“Turns out I wasn’t as responsible as I thought when we skipped last night.”

“What?”

“We had a patrol that I completely forgot about. He came to my apartment because he was worried. I told him where I was, and who I was with.”

Kun nodded in understanding, “That’s why he looked so pissed.”

“Yep… I’m sorry, Kun,” you sighed, leaning over the console to kiss his cheek. “I’m going to try to talk to him again, okay?”

“I don’t care about him liking me. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about it. I know not everyone’s going to like me, and I’m fine with that,” he admitted, pulling out of the parking spot and back onto the street. “I just know that _you_ want us to get along, and that’s what would make _you_ happy.”

You bit your lip, holding back another deep sigh, “It would.”

“Maybe I should talk to him. Does he work today? At the bookstore?”

Despite Kun’s genuine tone, you still felt uneasy about that, “Kun, I know you have good intentions, and I know that neither of you would _intentionally_ do anything, but I don’t want to chance of my parents’ bookstore getting wrecked the way the café did. Let me try to handle this for now, okay?”

“I understand,” Kun laced his fingers with yours over the center console. “Next stop, _my_ apartment, for your present and so that _I_ can change into better brunch clothes.”

* * *

At Kun’s apartment, you patiently waited in the living room while he went and changed. You texted Sicheng and the group chat while you waited. Your first message was to Sicheng.

[you: sicheng, we need to sit down and talk about this]

[you: please]

Your next was to the group chat.

[you: is it possible for all of us to get together before our next patrol on tuesday?]

A few of your friends were quick to text back.

[johnny: y/n! where were you last night?]

[renjun: we literally thought you were dead, dude]

[yuta: you were with the guy, right?]

[johnny: what guy??????]

[jeno: you’re not dead]

[johnny: and you all are always welcome at lenticular whenever!!]

[you: sorry about last night guys. that’s actually what i want to talk to you all about. when is everybody available?]

[renjun: if its at the cafe, johnny and i are available all the time]

[yuta: i’m not available until monday night]

[you: i can do that]

[yukhei: My brother and I will be available then.]

[jeno: monday sounds good to me]

[johnny: now we just need confirmation from sicheng if he can do it]

You went back into your private chat with the Mizuchi dragon. He’d left you on read.

[renjun: do you want me to go down to the store and ask him?]

[you: just leave him for now, renjun. i’m sure he’s busy with a customer or something and he’ll get back to us when he can]

[renjun: fine]

Hearing footsteps approaching caused you to look up from your phone, and you could feel the tension leave your body again when your eyes landed on Kun. Now dressed in dry and crisp clothes, he had his hands behind his back and a bright smile on his face.

“Why are you hiding it behind your back?” You teased. “You already told me what it was.”

“Shh,” he held up a finger to his lips as he shushed you. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

You willingly did so, wiggling your fingers until something soft was set atop them. Closing your grip around it, you opened your eyes back up to see what it exactly was. A very round, pastel pink frog, with little strawberries instead of blush on its cheeks.

“Aw!” You cooed down at it, squishing it gently. “It’s so cute! And pretty! Thank you, Kun. I love it.”

Throwing your arms around his neck, you felt your chest swelling with happiness as he wrapped his around your waist, hugging you back tightly.

“You’re welcome, Y/N,” he murmured before pressing a kiss to your temple.

You let him go, holding the frog in one hand and his hand in the other as you started leading the way towards the front door, “Brunchtime!”

* * *

At brunch, you were cozily tucked into a corner booth with Kun. You would have said something about him sliding in beside you on the same side of the booth instead of taking the opposite side, but you decided that you really didn’t care. He kept one arm around your shoulders as the two of you ate, another thing you didn’t mind.

“You know, I’m surprised you didn’t pull some beach house out of your ass for us to stay in last night,” you quipped to him before taking a bite of your waffle.

“I can get one for us, if you want.”

You nearly choked on your waffle, “Kun!”

“Sorry, sorry,” he snickered. “I remember the deal, spoil you with experiences. So what kind of places do you want to visit?”

“Greece.”

“That was quick.”

“Santorini has been calling my name for years. Not to mention the food sounds _so good_.”

“Greece it is then. Our first destination.”

“And when are we going to fit this supposed trip in?”

“When’s your next school break?”

“After finals in two months.”

“We’ll fit it in there.”

A buzz in your back pocket caught your attention, and your hand instinctually went to grab it, after all, maybe it was Sicheng finally. But you stopped yourself. You were on a date, you had something a bit more important to focus on.

“You can check it, Y/N,” Kun said. “Your phone. I don’t mind.”

“No, I shouldn’t…”

“Okay, but you can, if you want.”

Pause.

“I’ll have to check my schedule… for Greece.”

Only one mouthful of your waffle later, and you were giving in, going back on your own word. It wasn’t Sicheng, but the contact name brought a smile to your face.

[jaems: BITCH WHEN ARE YOU FREE ITS BEEN FOREVER]

“Oh, it’s Jaemin,” you announced, typing out your reply.

[you: its been since wednesday but ok]

[jaems: my question still stands, when are you free?]

[you: not right now]

[jaems: helpful]

[jaems: tomorrow? we can do like lunch or something?]

Making plans reminded you of something that you wanted to ask Kun.

“Kun.”

Your boyfriend attentively looked over at you, setting his fork down, “Yeah?”

“Are you busy Monday night?”

“What time?”

“I don’t know, six or seven maybe?”

“I shouldn’t be. Why?”

You picked at the food on your plate nervously, reaching up with your other hand to grab his that was hanging off your shoulder, “I’m meeting up with the guys, all my Ayakashi friends, then. To tell them about us. And I’d really like for you to be there. You know, emotional support and all that. And if they have any questions for you for some reason, too. I envision it as something along the lines of a ‘what are your intentions with my daughter’ kind of meeting.”

Kun chuckled, squeezing your hand gently, “I’ll be there.”

“Thank you.”

As you brought a bite of your food up to your mouth, he asked, “So what did Jaemin want?”

“Oh shit, yeah—” you quickly swallowed your food to pick up your phone and text your friend back.

[you: sure, yeah, we can do lunch or something]

“He’s going to freak when I tell him who my boyfriend is,” you snorted at just the image of Na Jaemin have a seizure over you dating his richest and most charitable customer.

“I think I’d pay to see that.”

“I’ll show you for free,” you retorted, bringing up your phone’s camera. “Actually, a small fee will be required.”

“And what is this fee?” Kun questioned, an eyebrow raised as you held your phone out in front of you two.

“Just a kiss on the cheek.”

Catching on to what you were planning, he snickered, “You’re going to make his head explode, you know?”

“That’s the fun of it,” you retorted. “Now come on.”

Scooting even closer to him, you offered your cheek out. Kun wasted no time in loudly smooching it, making you genuinely giggle and laugh as you took pictures. You figured you’d gotten enough when he was still kissing your cheek, and you tried to shake him off, “Kun! I took the picture! Kun!”

“Sorry, you’re just too cute sometimes, Y/N,” he said, not sounding very sorry at all as he swooped in to drop one more peck on your cheek.

“Alright, time to blow Na Jaemin’s mind.”

Going into your gallery, you chose the best one of the bunch. The picture made you stop for a moment, a fond smile coming to your face. And before sending it to your friend, you set the picture to be your wallpaper.

[you: _attached image._ ]

Kun’s voice was beside your ear as he said, “That’s a good one. Can you send it to me?”

“Of course,” you agreed, doing so right then and there.

Jaemin was quick to respond.

[jaems: HOLY SHIT IS THAT MR. QIAN]

[jaems: Y/N YOU’RE DATING QIAN KUN???? MY LOADED CUSTOMER??????? THE ONLY REASON IM NOT COMPELTELY BROKE???]

[jaems: oh my god its all connected]

Through your laughter, you were able to reply.

[you: what’s all connected?]

[jaems: mr qian came into the shop when we were on that call, remember? the night of your date, your date WITH HIM. and he said he was buying a brand new suit because he had a date that night he wanted to impress. YOU WERE THE DATE HE WANTED TO IMPRESS OH MY GOD MY BEST FRIEND BEING SOMEBODY THAT QIAN KUN WANTS TO IMPRESS I AM HAVING A STROKE]

[jaems: I CANT BELIEVE WE HAVE THE SAME SUGAR DADDY Y/N]

Reading over the second to last text again, you look at Kun, teasing smirk already on your face, and pink blush already dusting his; he’d been reading the messages over your shoulder.

“You bought that suit just to impress me?” You didn’t even have enough in you to truly tease him about it, too giddy and happy and in awe of him to do so.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, refusing to look you in the eye.

“Kun,” you cooed, taking his face between your hands to plant a kiss on his lips. “I’m so honored.”

Kun sighed, leaning forward to rest his head on your shoulder, “I never wanted you to know that.”

“Why not? It’s so sweet,” you argued back, stroking the back of his head soothingly.

“If you say so.”

“How can you shamelessly buy me things that you say remind you of me because they’re cute, and casually make playlists for me, and offer to pay for my tuition and rent, but you get embarrassed about buying a suit to dress up nicely for me?”

“Jaemin didn’t say how much the suit was, right?”

“No. How much was it, Kun?”

“Five thousand dollars.”

You literally choked on your own spit, coughing and thumping yourself on the chest to stop, “Oh my god Kun! That’s so expensive! You didn’t have to—”

“ _That’s_ not why I’m embarrassed! I’m embarrassed because it’s not even my _most_ expensive suit. I should’ve dropped even more on it, you’re worth so much more than that.”

“Kun, we may have given Jaemin a stroke earlier but you’re giving me one now.”

* * *

The next day was soon upon you, and you got out of bed, stretching and cracking your back with a loud groan. Walking out of your bedroom, your eyes fell on Taeyong curled up on the couch in his cat form. He had slept in the living room for the first time since you’d brought him home from the shelter, something that hadn’t gone unnoticed by you. Your short fight yesterday was still affecting your friendship, and you felt a twinge in your chest at the thought of it. Forcing yourself to look away, you went into the kitchen and started making yourself breakfast. Unsure of if Taeyong wanted human food or cat food this morning, you decided to make extra pancakes and fill up his food bowl just in case.

Taeyong still hadn’t stirred while you ate breakfast, or when you sat on the opposite end of the couch to watch some of your shows. When you went into your bathroom to shower, you could’ve sworn you heard the microwave whirring, and while you changed in your bedroom to get ready for lunch with Jaemin, you _definitely_ heard rustling around in the kitchen. But when you walked back out, Taeyong was still curled up in the same corner of the couch, eyes shut. An extra dish was in the sink, but you didn’t call him out on it.

“Bye, Yonggie,” you called out softly to him as you stood at the door. His ears perked up at his name, but he made no move to actually acknowledge you, or give up the charade of him sleeping.

You continued speaking to him, knowing full well that he was awake and listening, “I’m getting lunch with Jaemin. I should be back in a few hours. Have fun. Oh, and we’re having a meeting on Monday with the other guys, okay? Bye, I’ll see you later.”

The next days passed in a similar fashion: Taeyong would sleep on the couch and pretend to be asleep whenever you were nearby, completely ignoring you.

This time when you went to leave for your Monday classes, you stopped by the couch on your way out to gently rest a hand on his head, “Bye, Yonggie. I’ll see you later. We’ve got that meeting tonight, remember?”

At his lack of response, or even movement, you sighed. Tenderly stroking his fur, you murmured, “I wish you would talk to me, Yonggie. I miss my friend.”

“I’m hanging out with Yuta today. When he gets out of class,” he finally spoke, but didn’t move a muscle, not even opening his eyes to look at you. “Then we’re getting dinner. So I won’t be here when you get back. Just so you know.”

“Okay,” you nodded your head, holding back your utterances of surprise. “Good. Have fun, Taeyong.”

The Nekomata was silent once again, and you retracted your hand to then take leave of your apartment.

* * *

At school, you and Yuta were the first two there, and you couldn’t help but question what Taeyong had told you that morning.

“Are you and Taeyong hanging out today?” You blurted out to your friend, unable to believe that they had gotten over their rivalry so quickly.

“Yeah, we are,” Yuta confirmed. “Pretty kitty ended up at Lenticular the other day and called me from Johnny’s phone. I was just as surprised as you are. How’d you not know? I thought he goes wherever you were.”

“He’s got his own key to the apartment now, I’m glad he’s using it,” you said, but couldn’t keep the frown out of your voice. Digging into your bag, you grabbed your wallet and pulled out your credit card, holding it out to the Kitsune, “Taeyong should probably get his own phone, too. Will you take him to get one this afternoon? There’s no pin on that card.”

He hesitantly accepted the card, tucking it into his own bag as he questioned, “Why don’t you and him just go get one together?”

You bit your lip bitterly, remembering how coldly he’d been treating you all weekend, “He’s pissed at me right now. This morning was the first time he’d spoken to me since _Friday_ , and it was only to tell me that you two were hanging out today.”

“Woah. I never thought pretty kitty could ever get _mad_ at _you_. Especially for so long. I was pretty sure his life force ran on your affection, actually. What’d you do to make him so pissed?”

“I got a boyfriend.”

“Oh, I see,” Yuta grinned smugly. “Pretty kitty’s jealous.”

“I think it’s less me _having_ a boyfriend, and more-so _who_ the boyfriend is.”

“Who is it? I think the only person you could date that would piss him off that much would be me.” Yuta suddenly and dramatically gasped, “Did we start dating and you didn’t tell me, Y/N?”

You rolled your eyes at your friend’s joke, “No, Yuta. Don’t worry, you’re still single.”

“Well then who are you dating that is pissing him off so much?”

“Y/N’s dating someone?” Jaehyun was in the conversation now, head tilted with interest as he walked up to the two of you, the final member of your quartet not far behind.

“I know who Y/N’s dating!” Jaemin yelled out, running ahead of Jaehyun to throw an arm around your shoulders and shake you vigorously. “I know who her boyfriend is!”

“Jaemin, I’m losing braincells by the second,” you scoffed, despite his nearly vicious jerking around of you.

“Sorry! I’m so excited!” He stopped and squealed. “Y/N has a sugar daddy!”

Jaehyun’s eyebrows flew up, “Woah, Y/N!”

“Congrats!” Yuta whooped.

“No, he’s not _actually_ my sugar daddy, guys,” you groaned, elbowing your best friend in the side. “He’s just my boyfriend.”

“He’s super rich, though,” Jaemin countered.

“He’s my boyfriend who _happens_ to be super rich.”

“What does he do?” Jaehyun questioned. “Or is he just a rich trust fund baby or something?”

You explained, “He’s an executive at a wealthy company.”

“He shops at Grandeur!” Jaemin announced his own connection with him, referencing the store he worked at. “He’s my loaded customer that always tips really, really well.”

“Oh so he’s _Jaemin’s_ sugar daddy, but not _Y/N’s_ ,” Jaehyun joked, bumping his shoulder against yours. “I’m happy for you. What’s his name? You got a picture?”

Jaemin was quick to interject, “I have a picture!”

“Oh my _god_ , Jaemin, let me do this please,” you rolled your eyes, pushing him off of you to be able to access your phone.

You took a deep breath. There would be no problem in Jaehyun knowing who you were dating, it was Yuta you were worried about. You were supposed to let him know tonight with the others at Lenticular, but maybe this would be better. He couldn’t be influenced by the negative opinions of the other Ayakashi, only the overwhelmingly positive ones of your human friends. Hopefully.

Pulling up the picture you took with Kun at brunch on Friday, you turned your phone out for the others to see as you said, “His name’s Kun. Qian Kun.”

“Congrats, Y/N!” Jaehyun said cheerily, ruffling up your hair.

“You look so happy, Y/N,” Yuta breathed out, eyes still locked on the picture. Good news, he didn’t seem pissed.

“I am really happy with him,” you admitted truthfully.

Finally, the Kitsune looked up at you, face breaking into a bright smile, “That’s good. I’m happy you’re happy.”

“So how’d you even _meet_ a guy like that?” Jaehyun interjected. “Jaemin set you guys up or something?”

“No, him being one of Jaemin’s customers was a big coincidence,” you replied, a weight leaving your chest at Yuta’s positive response. “I actually met him when he came into my parents’ shop looking for a book. We didn’t have the book he wanted, but he gave me his number before he left. Told me to call him anytime, so I did.”

“That’s great,” you friend hugged you tightly. “Really, really great.”

“Thanks, Jae.”

A glance at your phone once more alerted you to the time, and you realized you’d have to get going, “Almost class time. Bye guys!”

“Bye, Y/N!” Jaemin gave you a short hug goodbye.

Yuta stepped up to give you one as well, a surprise to you as he would normally mess up your hair or give you a simple wave goodbye. Before letting go, he murmured, “I’m still wary of him. But as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“Thanks, Yuta,” you breathed out before breaking away from him.

Following Jaehyun through campus, you parted from him at the doorway and plopped down beside Mark at your desk.

“Morning,” you muttered to him, still cautious from your friends’ warnings, but feeling too awkward to completely ignore him.

Mark’s voice was surprisingly harsh when he replied, spitting out, “Really, Y/N? Sending your ogre boyfriend to come intimidate me?”

“ _What?_ ” You blurted back out, taking a much closer look at him. Mark’s face was bruised, he’d clearly been beat up, his nose now crooked, and a brace on his wrist.

“At first, I didn’t know why Qian Kun was coming to see me, until after he had broken my nose and sprained my wrist, he told me to leave you alone. Took me a second to make the connection between the date you’d told me about and him. One, because I couldn’t possibly fathom you even _knowing_ him, and two, dating an _Ayakashi_ , Y/N? An _Oni ogre_ at that? I could make a lot of Shrek jokes here if I wanted to.”

“Well I definitely don’t want you to,” you shook your head, unable to properly quip back with your mind trying to process what exactly he was saying. “Mark, I’m sorry Kun broke your nose… and sprained your wrist. But I didn’t tell him to do that. I have no idea _why_ he did that either.”

“You don’t?” Mark asked cautiously, eyes widening just the slightest.

“No.”

“You truly have no idea why Qian Kun would try to intimidate me into leaving you alone?”

“I don’t,” you said truthfully. “I’m sorry he did that you.”

Your classmate lightened up, “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding.”

“Next time I see him, I’m going to ask what the fuck he thought he was doing. Can’t believe he beat you up.”

“It’s not your fault that your boyfriend has anger issues, Y/N. I’m just glad I ducked out of the way of his sword.”

At that, you felt like your head was spinning, and you forced yourself to quiet your voice down before spitting out, “He—he pulled his fucking katana on you? Oh my god Mark, I’m so fucking sorry. I’m going to talk to him about this, because _what the fuck_.”

Mark didn’t reply, instead absentmindedly touching his nose, and hissing at the contact.

Feeling incredibly guilty, you offered without thinking, “Anyway, if you don’t hate me for this, do you want to get lunch?”

“Sure,” he immediately agreed, bright smile coming to his features. “After my 11am? At the dining hall?”

“That works for me, yeah.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

As the professor started lecture, you quickly opened up your texts on your phone with one specific person. Kun.

[you: call me when you can. we need to talk.]

* * *

Kun’s first call came in the middle of your lecture. You declined it.

Kun’s next three calls came right after that first one. You declined them.

Kun’s next call came while you were in the library working on the essay your Literature professor had assigned that morning. You declined it.

Kun’s next call came while you were at lunch with Mark. You declined it.

Kun’s next two calls were right after each other in your Chemistry lecture. You declined them.

Kun’s next call came while you were on your trip home. You _could_ pick it up. But for some reason, you just thought of how roughed up Mark had been this morning, and your blood boiled. You declined it.

Kun’s next four calls came as you entered into your apartment. Taeyong wasn’t there, just like he said, which made your chest hurt. You declined them.

Your apartment was silent as you sat on your couch, bitterly scrolling through social media with a foul taste in your mouth. Taeyong was pissed at you, Sicheng hadn’t replied to your texts, and Kun was apparently an angry psychopath or something. This _sucked_.

Then, someone knocked at your door. You stood up, slowly approaching it until the person on the other side spoke, “Y/N, are you there?”

“Depends,” you retorted back to Kun, arms crossed over your chest as you stared down the door.

“On what?”

“How well you explain yourself.”

“What? For what? You told me to call you when I was available, then sent all my calls to voicemail. I got worried about you.”

You finally snapped, “What the _fuck_ were you thinking? _Beating up_ Mark Lee and telling him to stay away from me? What the _fuck_ is wrong with you, Qian Kun? I cannot believe that you would do something like that. Why on Earth would you think you had to go after Mark anyway?”

“Y/N, he—”

“He what? You think he’s responsible for the Wraiths too? With what proof?”

“He told me.”

“What?” Your anger wavered at this.

“He came to my offices some time ago, before you and I met. He was trying to recruit Ayakashi who would be willing to let him channel their powers since he didn’t have all of his own True Ayakashi. He wanted them for some ritual. A ritual that requires a lot of power. From himself, other Ayakashi, and Wraiths. I told him that neither me nor my employees would want to do that and sent him away.”

You still tried to argue, “But you didn’t have to—”

“Y/N, open the door and look at me.”

You cautiously did so, revealing the man on the other side to you. And it was then that you saw the state he was in. He had cuts and slices all down his arms, most already beginning to scab.

“Kun…” you whispered his name in shock, pulling him in by his hand and shutting the door behind him. “What happened?”

“I just wanted to talk to Mark, try to make a deal. I am a businessman, of course. But I showed my cards too early and brought you up. He just fucking snapped,” Kun explained, and you felt tears welling in your eyes as you continued looking over his wounds. “I tried to take as many of his talismans as I could before I actually had to hurt him. I brought out my katana as a last resort to scare him off. It worked. All _I_ did was break his nose. He tripped over his own feet running away and sprained his wrist.”

“I’m calling Yuta, he can heal you up,” you declared, pulling your phone out. Before you could press the call button, you looked up at your boyfriend, feeling the first tear slip down your cheek, “And, I’m so sorry, Kun, for doubting you. I should have actually tried to listen to you in the first place instead of getting all pissy. That was horrible of me to do to you.”

Kun nodded, “I forgive you, Y/N. Please don’t do that to me again. Talk to me next time.”

“I will,” you promised, swallowing down the rest of your tears as you pressed the button to call Yuta.

“Are you sure that Yuta will help?” He questioned as the line rang.

“I told him this morning about us, he seemed… fine for the most part. But Taeyong is out getting dinner with him right now, so he’ll probably tag along.”

“Not exactly how I wanted my first official meeting with him to be.”

“Me neither,” you shook your head. “Especially because he’s not talking to me right now.”

“Why—never mind. Me.”

“Yeah, he hasn’t talked to me since Friday. Except this morning, and it was only to tell me about his plans with Yuta.”

Kun seemed about ready to say something when the line clicked, indicating that Yuta had picked up.

“Hello?” Yuta’s voice came through your speakers.

“Hey, Yuta!” You greeted him, feeling very relieved. “I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner with Taeyong, but I really need to you to come to my apartment.”

“Why?”

“Kun’s here, and he’s hurt. I’d owe you one for the rest of my life if you healed him. Please.”

One, two, three seconds passed.

“You won’t owe me anything, Y/N,” he retorted. “We’ll be there in twenty.”

When you hung up, you moved Kun to the couch and sat beside him, holding tightly to one of his hands.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Kun sighed. “That dating me is doing this to your friendships.”

You shook your head, refusing to accept his apology, “Don’t apologize for my friends being shitty, Kun. I’m happy with you, and they’ll come around eventually. I promise.”

* * *

The front door swung open heavily, and you snapped your head up to look at the newcomers. Yuta was in front, Taeyong trailing behind him with his arms already crossed over his chest to make his distaste of the situation clear.

“Hey, guys,” you greeted them. “Thanks for coming, Yuta.”

“Of course, Y/N,” Yuta sat down on the coffee table in front of Kun to begin looking over him.

“I really appreciate this, Yuta,” Kun thanked him as well, letting him turn his arms over and inspect them.

“Woah, what happened to you, dude? A blender accident?”

“No, it was—” you cut yourself off with a bitter sigh. “It was Mark. You guys were right, he’s the one controlling the Wraiths.”

“I wish we weren’t right,” Yuta admitted, drawing his hands back from Kun’s arms. “What did he use on you?”

“Talismans.”

The Kitsune whistled lowly, “These are definitely the worst papercuts _I’ve_ ever seen, but I got you.”

Taking Kun’s arms back in his hands, he was careful not to touch any of the wounds, and instead hover his hand over them as he healed them. You watched the wounds fade before your eyes, only a few scars being left in their stead. Ones that you’d seen before, but you hadn’t asked him about. The last time you’d asked him about scars of his, he’d brushed you off with his _‘I’m 196, I’ve got plenty,’_ reasoning. Which made sense, but didn’t remedy your unease over them.

Kun stuck a hand out for Yuta to shake, “Thank you, Yuta.”

Your friend shook it, some amusement on his features, “You remind me of Sicheng.”

“How so?”

“You’re all… stiff, and formal. Serious, very business-like. Don’t you agree, pretty kitty?”

Taeyong’s ears gave away his interest in the conversation, twitching and pointed in your direction. But he made no move to join you all, or even reply to Yuta.

You laced your fingers with Kun’s and rested your head on his shoulder, all too relieved to have him healed up. Your boyfriend simply pecked the crown of your head, reassuring you that he was okay.

Yuta looked at the two of you, a fond smile coming to his lips, “You two are cute.”

Struggling to keep your bright grin to yourself, you said, “Thanks.”

“Maybe… you aren’t so bad, Kun.”

Kun perked up at this, “That means a lot to me. Thank you.”

“Why were you all so wary of him in the first place?” You piped up to question, feeling the tension between the two men dissolving.

“For me, honestly, he freaked me out in the car that night. You gave off some weird vibes then, Kun,” Yuta admitted. “Not to mention that Oni don’t have a great reputation among Ayakashi, and Sicheng seems to hate him, and we all trust his opinions because he seems… the most trustworthy and knowledgeable, you know? Other than Jungwoo, I guess.”

“What kind of reputation do Oni have?”

“Savages, uh, infavorofthegenocideofeveryotherkindofAyakashi, selfish, untrustworthy. That kind of stuff.”

You could feel Kun wince beside you as you sputtered out, “I’m sorry, _what?_ ”

“Savages, selfish, untrustworthy,” Yuta repeated innocently.

“No, you cannot just _pepper in_ a mention of genocide and then pretend like you didn’t, Yuta.”

The Kitsune grimaced, “Kun, do you maybe want to explain this one?”

Kun took a deep breath, running his thumb over yours in a movement that you figured was more to soothe himself than you, “There used to be this… Oni Regime that just terrorized the Ayakashi community here for centuries. I was a teenager when it was overthrown and all the Ayakashi just decided to leave each other alone for the most part.”

“Overthrown?” The man sitting in front of the two of you interjected, “I thought they just… disappeared or whatever. Went underground or disbanded or something.”

“Oh, yeah, my bad,” he shook his head at himself. “Like I said, it disappeared when I was a teenager, and I wasn’t involved at all with it, so I guess I just assumed it’d been overthrown. Anyway, the effect it had on perceptions of Oni was pretty much permanent. Even if most Ayakashi around now don’t know about or remember the Regime, they’re all pretty much raised to be wary of Oni to some extent. Sicheng is on the more extreme end of that I guess.”

“Kun…” You breathed out, feeling your eyes start to water again as you listened in and looked on at his downtrodden features.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, if this changes anything about—”

“No. It doesn’t. Of course it doesn’t. I’m sorry that you’ve had to deal with all of this for… your whole life.”

Placing your hand on his cheek, you pressed your lips to his forehead, your mind too occupied with thoughts of how lonely that must have been for him to properly form any more words. He smiled at you wistfully, clasping his hand over yours.

“Hey, don’t cry, sweet girl,” he murmured, wiping his thumb over your wet cheeks. “I’ve got _you_ now, right? That’s all I could ever want.”

“Yeah, you do,” you nodded, but the tears only seemed to multiply at the affectionate name he had called you.

A tissue was suddenly thrust in front of your face, Taeyong murmuring, “Here.”

Kun accepted the tissue to properly wipe at your tears now, “Thanks, Taeyong.”

“I’m sorry,” the Nekomata breathed out. “To both of you. But especially you, Y/N. I was an asshole to you this whole weekend.”

“Yeah, you were,” you agreed, looking up at your friend through your still-teary eyes. “But I forgive you, Taeyong.”

“So are we all good now?” Yuta broke back into the conversation, leaping to his feet and rushing over to your kitchen counter, securing a plastic bag you hadn’t noticed before. “Because we brought leftovers.”

As Taeyong sat down on your other side and Yuta walked back to set the food down on the coffee table, you nodded with a grin, “I think we are. Taeyong, did you get a phone this afternoon? I gave Yuta my card. Speaking of which, can I have it back, please?”

Yuta took his wallet from his pocket, fishing your credit card back out to hand it to you as Taeyong answered, “Yes, thank you.” He paused to rub his head against your shoulder thankfully before continuing, “I haven’t set it up yet, though. Can you help?”

“Of course!” You held your hand out, and Taeyong set the shiny new phone in your hand.

Kun leaned forward as Yuta took the food out of the containers, “So what’d you guys get?”

“A Nekomata and a Kitsune are getting dinner together, what do you _think_ we would get?”

“This sounds like the beginning of a very bad joke.”

“Yuta’s good at those,” you quipped as you turned the phone in your hand on.

“Ouch,” Yuta said pointedly at you before answering Kun’s question. “Sushi, of course!”


	4. [four]

A couple hours later, right as the sun was beginning to set, the four of you left your apartment and loaded up into Kun’s car that he had parked in front of your building. The car ride was mostly quiet, except for Taeyong’s phone, which you had finished setting up for him and downloaded some of the games he liked to play on yours. Except now as he played one of his games, the volume was pretty much all the way up.

“Yonggie, can you turn the volume down?” You turned around to ask him.

“How do I—”

Yuta had snatched the phone from Taeyong’s hands before he could finished his question, very exaggeratedly clicking the volume-down button before thrusting it back into the Nekomata’s grip.

“That’s how.”

“Oh. Thanks, Yuta!” Taeyong said brightly before returning to Candy Crush.

“No problem, pretty kitty,” Yuta rolled his eyes in return.

You exchanged a glance with Kun, the two of you suppressing your chuckles.

Soon, Bell Street was in your sights, and Kun found a parking spot between Lenticular and the bookstore. The lights were off in your parents’ store, meaning that Sicheng was definitely off work. Whether he’d be in the café was still questionable.

Lacing your fingers with Kun’s did little to still your anxious heart, but it was better than not. Yuta and Taeyong were ahead of you, the Kitsune keeping a hold on the other’s arm to make sure the oblivious Nekomata didn’t run into a building while his eyes were glued to the colorful candies on his phone screen.

“Maybe you should’ve had Yuta just get him a flip phone,” Kun quipped to you, a clear attempt to help relax you and bring you back out of your head.

You managed a slight chuckle, but you couldn’t say much of anything in reply.

“It’ll be fine, Y/N. You’ve got this. Yuta and Taeyong are already okay with us. That’s two down, and… how many to go?”

You ran a mental list, “Five to go. Six, including Sicheng.”

“Easy.”

Giving him a frank look, you returned your focus to keeping your breathing under control.

Yuta opened up the door to the café, pushing Taeyong in ahead of him before holding it open for you and Kun to pass through. You nodded to thank him, holding your breath as you stepped over the threshold.

Despite what your brain had been hyping you up to, the world didn’t immediately explode when you walked into the café. In fact, it seemed as though nobody had taken notice of you at first. Renjun was stacking chairs up in the far corner; Jungwoo and Yukhei were focused on their game of dominoes at one table; Jeno napped in a booth behind them; Johnny wasn’t out in the dining room, but you could hear sounds in the kitchen that you knew to be him preparing food for you guys. And Sicheng was nowhere to be seen.

You tried not to let that weigh too heavy on your mind as you waited for a moment. But when none of them had even noticed the four of you, you called out, “Hey, guys!”

Jungwoo was the first to acknowledge you, pleasant smile coming to his features as he looked up from the game, “Hello, Lady Onmyoji. How are you two tonight?”

“Uh, pretty good,” you replied, pulling Kun a little further into the café.

“I’m well, thanks,” Kun returned the friendly smile.

Renjun glanced up for a moment before doing a double take at the man beside you, then your linked hands, “ _Shit_ , Y/N. Being stupid again, I see.”

“Oh, piss off Renjun,” you rolled your eyes at the Satori as he walked over to Jeno. He grabbed the Tengu’s baseball cap off his head before smacking him in the face with it a couple times, “Tengu! Wake up! Y/N’s being stupid again!”

“Funny how your nose is at the perfect height for me to kick,” Jeno growled, snatching his hat back from the other Ayakashi. He nonetheless sat up, pulling it back onto his head before squinting over at you, “Oh. You’re right.”

Johnny had emerged from the back room, eyes widening when they fell upon you and Kun, “Ah. Hello, Y/N. Kun.”

“Hey Johnny, can you tell Renjun and Jeno to stop bullying me?” You fake-whined to the Domeki, only making him lighten up a bit.

“Renjun, Jeno, stop calling Y/N stupid.”

“I will when she stops _being_ stupid,” Renjun retorted, stacking up the last chair that wasn’t going to be needed.

“I made some snacks, let me get those,” Johnny disappeared back behind the curtain.

You sighed shortly, leading Kun over to the table where Jungwoo and Yukhei had been playing dominoes. Jungwoo scooted over for you to pull up a couple chairs at the larger table, which you thanked him for. So far, he and Yukhei had been the most civil. Which wasn’t hard for Yukhei, considering he seemed like he couldn’t give less of a shit about you in general. Something you were kind of grateful for in that moment.

Jeno and Renjun each pulled up a chair on Yukhei’s side of the table, watching you and Kun closely. Yuta gently lead Taeyong to the table and sat him down in a chair, the Nekomata’s attention still glued to his phone screen. Johnny soon joined you all, setting plates of food around the dominoes before sitting down beside Renjun.

The bell at the front door rang, and your neck nearly snapped in two with the speed at which you went to look at the newcomer. It was Sicheng. He clearly was not pleased to be here, eyes already a fiery ocean blue, and his scales flaring up along his skin when his hard gaze locked on Kun. He said nothing as he pulled up a chair next to Jeno, as far away from Kun as he could possibly be. The Mizuchi dragon offered no greetings, and nobody even tried to talk to him in that moment.

“So, uh, what did you want to talk to us about, Y/N?” The Domeki tried to ask nonchalantly, as if they all didn’t clearly know what this was about.

Kun squeezed your hand supportively where they had been resting on your lap, running his thumb over your knuckles. You tried to put on your most confident smile, “Well, maybe it wasn’t such a big deal to call a meeting like this, but… I just wanted to let you guys know that Kun and I are dating. We are very happy together.”

Silence.

“I don’t know if you guys have any questions or anything, but I just wanted to clear the air and be honest with all of you. Because I know I haven’t exactly done that recently.”

Renjun took the first crack at the two of you, “So you missed a patrol to get some dick?”

Taeyong must have actually been listening, because he spit out the bite of food that he’d just taken the second before, spraying it all over his screen, “My phone!”

You grabbed a napkin from the holder and handed it over to him as you replied to the Satori, “If you want to be crude about it, sure. We were actually at the beach and my phone was off.”

“What was your first date?” Johnny called out from beside Renjun.

Kun took the lead on that question, “I took her to a play at the Aurora.”

“Did you bring her flowers?”

“Well, no—”

“Interesting.”

“When was it?” Yuta asked.

“About a month and a half ago.”

Your friends’ features changed as they all put together the timeline in their heads, Renjun saying it first, “That was around when Y/N got her powers, right? Were you there, Kun?”

“Yes,” your boyfriend confirmed. “Some Wraiths attacked us outside the theater.”

Yuta snorted, “Hell of a first date.”

“Wait,” Renjun unfortunately seemed to be putting the pieces together. “Jungwoo said your powers would only awaken if they were needed. You couldn’t get them when we were around you because we were Ayakashi and could protect you. So if he was with you, how’d your powers awaken? He get knocked out or something?”

Remembering exactly how you got your powers, and exactly how profusely Kun had apologized to you afterwards, you exchanged an uneasy glance with him. But you’d already said that you’d be honest with your friends.

So, with a reluctant tone in your voice, you clearly enunciated, “Kun channeled my powers for me that night when I couldn’t.”

“You did _what?_ ” Yuta snarled, his previous approving demeanor completely gone as he stood up, throwing his chair back with the force of his movement, ears and tails out as he menacingly bared his teeth.

“He did that to you?” Johnny addressed you harshly, inked eyes appearing along his skin, each one seeming to be glaring at your boyfriend as well.

 _“Bastard!”_ Sicheng finally said something, voice a low growl as he was suddenly in his full battle form, something you had only seen twice: once at the shrine when a Wraith that Jungwoo summoned got a little out of hand, and once on a patrol before your supernatural radar was truly advanced and a whole gang of Wraiths had managed to sneak up on the two of you.

The Mizuchi dragon’s clothes were replaced by a deep ocean blue gi, water curled around his forearm as he readied an attack.

“Sicheng!” You snapped, standing up and putting yourself between your boyfriend and very pissed off friends.

Jeno’s wings were at the ready, Renjun’s eyes were two different colors again, Taeyong had put his phone down to stand and hiss at Kun, and even _Jungwoo_ seemed angry, brow furrowed and mouth pursed into something you could almost call a frown. Yukhei’s attention had been caught by this revelation too, eyes widening before he glared at the Oni in disapproval, the most emotion you’d seen the guy ever display when it didn’t involve his brother.

“All of you, stop!” You tried to keep your voice calm, knowing that if you got too angry and started yelling, not only would you maybe say things you’d regret later, but you also tended to be an angry crier. You hated crying in front of people while you were angry, it felt as if your entire point of being angry was being negated by your own body. And so you kept your breathing level to help push back the bitterly hot and angry tears ready to prick at your eyes.

Kun got to his feet as well, slowly, as to not alarm them any more than they already were.

“Sicheng, put the water back in Jungwoo and Yukhei’s glasses,” you demanded, honestly just kind of glad he hadn’t ruptured piping and the floor again to get water this time.

“No,” your friend shook his head firmly. “Not when he-he _violated_ you like that! He had no right to do that!”

“It’s not your place to be angry over this,” you argued back. “The two of us already discussed this. He apologized afterwards, we have made peace over it. You need to stop this right now.”

“I didn’t want to do it, if that makes any difference,” Kun spoke up, stepping to stand beside you. “There was nothing else I could have done.”

“You _could_ have died,” Renjun snapped back.

“Then Y/N would have as well. It was the only way to make sure she was safe. That’s why I did it. I apologize for disrespecting your bonds as her True Ayakashi, but I do _not_ apologize for keeping her safe. I will _never_ apologize for that.”

Sicheng’s jaw was clenched as he took deep breaths in through his nose, nostrils flared angrily. The others seemed to all calm down for the most part, except him.

“Alright, I’m cool with you again,” Yuta sighed, flopping down into his chair.

Taeyong’s ears flicked as he seemed to debate his own position on the matter, “Y/N?”

“I trust him, Taeyong,” you reassured the Nekomata.

“Alright…” he gave in, sitting back down beside you.

“I don’t have a problem with you, as long as you don’t kill my Onmyoji, you know? I’ve heard about some really cool stuff that Tengus have done when bonded with their True Ayakashi,” Jeno’s wings disappeared before he sat and pulled his baseball cap back over his eyes, letting out a yawn. There was a short pause then he nonchalantly added, “And I think you’d have to be more scared of Jaemin if something happened to her than any of us, by the way.”

“Okay, Y/N, if you like him, I like him,” Johnny reached over the table with his rather long arms to ruffle your hair before taking his seat once more.

Renjun squinted at Kun suspiciously before shrugging and flopping into his seat, “If you want to be stupid, Y/N, it’s not my prerogative to stop you.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence as always, Renjun,” you rolled your eyes, but his dropping of the situation made you grateful, nonetheless.

Jungwoo suddenly grabbed your hand, and you immediately looked down at your friend. He had a rather inquisitive look on his face as he gazed up at you, and you squeezed his hand in reassurance.

“This is what I want.”

“Then it is not our place to say anything,” he relented, and Yukhei immediately relaxed back into his seat as well, taking his hard gaze off of Kun.

That only left Sicheng.

“I _cannot_ believe you all!” He seethed.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Sicheng—”

“I cannot believe that you would allow an- an _Oni_ to tarnish the sanctity of our bonds! _All_ of you!” He spat out the word ‘Oni’ like it was a swear, the orb of water churning and swirling even more tumultuously as he continued. “Y/N, you’re _naïve_ about Ayakashi and he is purposefully leaving you in the dark about things. You don’t _know_ what Oni have done to us.”

“Yes, I do, Sicheng,” you fired back, setting your jaw tightly. “We’ve already talked about the Regime and some of the beliefs they held.”

“And you’ve _forgiven_ him?”

“He didn’t _do_ anything!”

Sicheng took his flaming gaze off of you and focused it onto Kun instead, “You’re lying to her!”

“Sicheng…” Kun calmly said his name, but this seemed to set him off even more.

Before the ball of water he’d just thrown could reach Kun, a gust of wind came from nowhere and blew it apart in the opposite direction, instead spraying Taeyong across the face. The Nekomata spluttered and wiped his face.

“Sorry, Taeyong,” Jeno apologized, once more on his feet with his wings out. He turned to Sicheng, pointing at the Mizuchi dragon and his voice low with warning, “You need to calm down.”

“No, not when he—”

“Sicheng!” The Tengu bellowed his name. “You stopped me from going too far before, now I’m returning the favor. Go calm down. Before you do something you’ll regret.”

The Mizuchi dragon took several deep, heaving breaths, debating this for several heavy moments before transforming back out of his battle form. His scales and eyes didn’t disappear, the ocean blue irises focused furiously on you.

“He burned my village down and killed my mother and friends. He lied to you.”

Then he stormed out of the café, slamming the lilac door behind him.

You were torn between running after your friend and staying back to question Kun. Because Sicheng just dropped that bombshell with no further explanation.

“Y/N, I didn’t, I didn’t do that!” Kun immediately pleaded with you. “I swear, I did not do that. You have to believe me, I’ve never lied to you. I didn’t do that!”

Turning to your boyfriend with wide, horrified, and lost eyes, you questioned with clear distress in your voice, “Why would he think that you _did_ , Kun?”

He faltered for a moment, scrambling for an answer, “I don’t know why he thinks I did, but I _didn’t!”_

“I’m going to go talk to him,” you shook your head, pushing your chair back to start after him.

“Y/N! I don’t think you should! He’s pretty pissed,” Johnny went to grab your elbow, but you shook him off.

“It’s _Sicheng_ , he’s not going to hurt me.”

With that, you ran out of the café. Sicheng thankfully hadn’t turned the corner of Bell Street yet, and you kept your gaze locked onto him as you darted down the sidewalks. Your feet slapped against the pavement underneath you, and as you got closer to him, you called his name out, “Sicheng!”

Either he didn’t hear you, or chose to ignore you, as he didn’t turn around or stop until you had a tight grip on his upper arm. He finally slowed to a halt, glaring at your hand. You knew he was much stronger than you, could easily knock you away and be rid of you if he really wanted to. But instead he stood there, silently fuming.

“Sicheng,” you repeated his name, softer this time when you noticed how moist his eyes were. “Talk to me about it, please. I want to understand.”

“What is there to understand? Your _boyfriend_ burned my village down and killed my mother and friends,” he hissed sharply.

“Tell me what happened.”

“You think I’m lying?”

“No. I believe that _you_ believe what you’re saying. I don’t want to undermine your feelings; I want you to tell me what happened and why you think he did that.”

Sicheng let out a deep sigh, glancing around at the passerby before sitting down at one of the outdoor tables of a tea shop. You took the seat across from him.

“My mother was sick, so I made the journey from my village to the shrine to get some medicine from Jungwoo,” Sicheng began, drawing a small amount of water up from a puddle to mindlessly mess with above his fingertips. “I returned to my village in flames. People running around screaming, so many bodies piling up already. All of my friends, dead. My mother, dead. It was the Regime, Oni maiming and killing without a second thought. And among all this death and chaos, Kun. I _saw_ him there, Y/N. _That’s_ what happened.”

He smashed the water down to the ground with a harsh flick of his wrist, the splashing water looking much more like breaking glass in that moment.

You felt your stomach drop, your heart break, and your brain shift into overdrive all in the same split-second. You couldn’t jump to conclusions again, you had promised Kun that. But it was hard not to believe Sicheng, the conviction and sadness in his voice so poignant and twisted and pulled at your heart just right. No matter what the truth was, your friend had lost seemingly everything that night.

“I’m so sorry, Sicheng,” you murmured, awkwardly wringing your hands in your lap.

He stared off in the distance behind you, murmuring a soft, “It’s been so long…”

Then in an instant, he was on his feet, “I’m sure you want to get back to your _boyfriend_.”

Sicheng once more took off down the street, and you didn’t try to stop him. He was right, you _did_ want to get back to Kun. To get his side of the story, get to the bottom of this. So you watched your friend disappear around the corner before standing from the table and setting your sights back on Lenticular Café.

* * *

Flinging the doors back open, everybody was pretty much where you had left them, murmuring quietly amongst themselves. Except Kun. You didn’t see Kun there at all. They all stopped and snapped their heads over to look at you as soon as you’d fully entered.

“Where’s Kun?” You asked, eyes scanning the room again, just in case.

They all exchanged uneasy glances before Johnny spoke up hesitantly, “He said he still had some work to finish up at his office, and that he’ll call you later.”

You rolled your eyes, pivoting on your heel to leave once more when several of them called your name out. Whipping back around to your friends, you retorted, “What? You guys think he actually did it?”

Once again, they looked at each other anxiously, Taeyong speaking up this time, “Well, we don’t really know. And you going to see him by yourself…”

“At his work, which is ran by other Oni,” Yuta added. “Doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“Oh my god, you guys, he’s not going to do anything to me,” you shook your head. “Look, I’ve already passed hasty judgement on him once before without getting his side of the situation, and I was wrong. And I _promised_ him I wouldn’t do that again. I’m not going back on that promise.”

“Be safe, Lady Onmyoji,” Jungwoo wished you well.

You nodded to him, “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Bye, little lady,” Johnny called out. “If it’s worth anything to you, I hope it’s not true.”

“Thanks, Johnny. Bye, guys.”

And with that, you steeled your nerves, squared your shoulders, and pulled out your subway card. Time to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

At the front of Oni Group Holdings, you confidently pushed the doors open. The business day had ended a few hours ago, but the building was still open for the few who stayed late. The security guard at the front desk—a human, you noted—seemed about to stop you as you beelined for the elevators, but a single look at your face stopped him in his tracks. He’d seen you there before, with Kun, and probably thought it best not to disturb the Vice President’s romantic interest. You hadn’t quite been introduced as his girlfriend back then, but your relationship was clear enough that you had no problem getting on the elevator.

You exited onto the second to the top floor, the top being reserved for the office of the President of Oni Group Holdings, Kun’s father. He was rarely actually in the office building and hadn’t been there when you’d visited. According to Kun, he conducted most of his work out of the country or from home nowadays.

Other than Kun, you sensed just a couple Ayakashi in the building, only one on your desired floor. The only employees that Kun shared the floor with were his assistant and the small team that he worked the closest with, who had their own much smaller offices in the remaining space. The light was on in one office opposite from Kun’s. When the elevator dinged and shut behind you, it caught the attention of Wong Kunhang, who looked up from his laptop and through his glass door at you curiously.

Pushing his office door open, he poked his head out to wave you over. Annoyed at this little detour, you walked over to him nonetheless.

“Uh, Mr. Qian is in his office,” Kunhang—another Tengu—informed you, eyes flitting nervously over to the office that you knew held your boyfriend.

“Yeah, I know,” you deadpanned.

“He also, uh, didn’t seem like he was in a good mood when he went in either.”

“Are you scared or something, Kunhang?”

“Just a bit.”

“I _know_ he’s in a bad mood. That’s _why_ I’m here.”

“Are you two fighting? Should I leave? Give you guys some privacy?”

You scoffed, “No, we’re not fighting. But that’s… a good idea, Kunhang. Take the night off.”

“I still have work to finish.”

“Finish it at home.”

At your sharp tone, he rushed back to his desk to stuff his laptop into his bag, then flung the bag over his shoulder. He fully left his office this time, nodding to you hastily, “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Kunhang,” you shook your head at Ayakashi before refocusing yourself on the real reason you were here: Kun.

Walking across the floor to Kun’s office, you didn’t even bother knocking at the door. He had spotted you before you’d even reached the handle, locking eyes before just a moment before dropping them back to his computer. You pushed the door open, stepping into the room silently.

Kun looked disheveled, hair a mess and dress shirt haphazardly rolled up and wrinkled. He didn’t say a word as you moved to stand next to him at his desk. You peered at his computer screen. Blank. It was off.

“Looks like you’re doing a lot of important work,” you commented quietly.

He didn’t say anything in response, letting out a deep sigh as he shut his laptop. There was a long pause between the two of you as he stared off at something in the distance, refusing to really acknowledge you. Clearly, he wasn’t going to say anything first, so you took it into your own hands.

“Talk to me about the Regime, Kun. About you know… the bad Oni.”

Kun stood up from his desk, moving away from it as he said, “I don’t like to talk about it because it was a lifetime ago. Several lifetimes ago.”

“Why not? Kun, it wasn’t your fault—” You followed him to where he sat on the couch.

“No, it was,” he argued back. “I was someone who did the right thing a little too late. I don’t deserve any praise for that.”

“Too late? You said you were a teenager when they were overthrown; you can’t fault yourself for when you were _born_ ,” you tried to reassure him, but he threw it back in your face.

“But I _wasn’t_ a teenager during the Resurgence.”

Your eyebrows shot up at this. He hadn’t mentioned anything about a ‘Resurgence’ in your talk earlier.

“During the what?”

“What did Sicheng tell you?”

“That his village was burned down by Oni, and he saw you there,” you admitted, brows furrowed as you saw the pain register in his features.

Kun cracked his knuckles almost habitually as he continued, “When I was almost a hundred and ten, some members of the Regime tried to get back in power. I ignored it for so long before I _finally_ did something to stop it. I was a coward, passive, for almost ten years of my life before finally deciding to do what was right and joined up with the Second Revolt to finally knock them down permanently. I _was_ there, at Sicheng’s village when it was being burned down, trying to _stop_ the Resurgence. But I don’t deserve to be honored as a hero for that, because I wasn’t. Sicheng has every right to hate me.”

You grabbed his hand, “You were doing the right thing, Kun.”

“Not soon enough,” he shook his head, voice rough as it was clearly getting more and more difficult to talk without crying. “I should’ve joined the Second Revolt as soon as the Resurgence happened…”

“You were a part of the Second Revolt?” Sicheng’s voice floated through the room, and you snapped up your head to look.

Sicheng was standing just past the doorway. You hadn’t seen nor sensed him, all too focused on Kun beside you. Your friend’s gaze was focused on the Oni beside you, who looked up without any surprise at all, teary eyes gazing into teary eyes.

“Yeah, I was. My armband’s in the right drawer of my desk if you want to look at it,” Kun gestured towards the desk nonchalantly, a tiny sniffle following.

You watched Sicheng approach the desk and open said drawer, reaching in and bringing out a green armband. Some kind of symbol was embroidered on it in silver thread, the shine having dulled over the years. The Mizuchi dragon’s scales disappeared and his eyes turned back to his typical soft brown again as he ran his fingertips over the embroidery.

“You kept it,” you breathed out.

“To remind myself that I never want to do too little too late ever again,” Kun said firmly, shifting in his seat. As he shifted, some of his shirt sleeve rode up, and your eyes caught on one of the scars on his forearm. They must be from his time with the Second Revolt, wounds from him doing the right thing.

Sicheng’s eyes were still focused on the cloth in his hand in awe, “You weren’t there to burn my village down. You were there to save it.”

“Like I said, too little too late.”

“But you _tried_ ,” Sicheng now furiously argued for the Oni. “I’m sorry, Kun. I was… completely wrong about you. You do have honor, and a sense of right and wrong, and you sought—and continue to seek—justice. And you’re kind, and compassionate, and respectable. I apologize, for being so harsh to you. I see now that you truly are an… admirable man. My deepest apologies to you.”

Kun swallowed heavily, nodding his head at the other Ayakashi, “Thank you, Sicheng. I’m sorry I couldn’t have saved your village.”

“I’m sorry to you, as well, Y/N. For doubting your intellect and personal judgement.”

You smiled up at your friend, “Thank you, Sicheng. I understand why you did it though.”

Sicheng set the armband back into the drawer and shut it.

As the situation was now coming to a close, you were able to realize, “Why are you here, anyway, Sicheng?”

“I came back to the café after… thinking things through and blowing off some steam,” he explained. “The other guys said you two might be here.”

“How’d you get past the security guard?”

“Cunning.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“You seemed to believe in him so thoroughly, I figured I could at least hear out why. And I see now, why.”

“I really, _really_ appreciate that.”

Looking back to Kun, you squeezed his hand tightly before running your thumb over his knuckles. Kun pressed a light kiss to your cheek, murmuring a ‘sweet girl’ before addressing Sicheng, “Thank you again. I hope we can work together well in the future, to deal with the threat to our city.”

“I believe I can do that,” the Mizuchi dragon nodded firmly in reply. “I’ll leave you two now… goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Sicheng,” you bid your friend farewell.

“Safe travels, Sicheng,” Kun waved to him as he took leave of the office.

Now alone with Kun, you were caught off-guard when he threw his arms around your middle, burying his face in your neck. He let out a deep sigh, one clearly from his very soul as you rested one hand on the back of his head.

Your boyfriend brought his head up out of your neck to look at you with glistening eyes, “I want to tell you something else, Y/N, about me.”

“You don’t have to, Kun, you’ve already told me so much,” you assured him, taking his face between your hands.

“I _want_ to tell you about this.”

“Okay,” you nodded. “Go ahead.”

He took your hand from his cheek before turning away from you, bringing it to the back of his neck, where the three grey pine trees were. His bond mark, from his own connection with his Onmyoji.

“Your bond mark,” you stated, tracing the outline of the central tree with your fingertip, gently.

“I was born with mine already activated. It was a dark black color like yours. My Onmyoji was already born and already had their powers activated by the time I came around,” he began abruptly. “The Regime would document the bond marks of all Oni in order to locate their Onmyoji. If an Onmyoji shared a bond mark with an Oni, they were considered to be in the Regime as well. If they refused to serve the Regime, they were dealt with like any other traitors… executed. According to my parents, when I was still little, before _I_ can even remember, it turned grey. That’s what happens when an Onmyoji with their mark activated dies, the bond dies with them, and the mark changes to reflect that.”

“Your Onmyoji must not have wanted to serve the Regime, then,” you deduced, a certain strength in your voice as you tried to encourage him. “They were a good person, just like you.”

“And I’m not…” he sighed, taking a moment to figure out when he was trying to say. “It’s not like I actually ever _knew_ them, so it’s hard to mourn them or really miss them but—I guess I miss what would’ve happened. Mourned a lost experience.”

You reassured him the best you could, dropping your hand from the back of his neck to lace your fingers with his, “Of course you can mourn that, Kun.”

“It’s hard for me, now, even more than ever before.”

“How so?”

“Seeing you with your True Ayakashi, your bond marks, the clear attachment they all have to you. Makes me kind of wonder what could have been.”

“I’m sorry,” you said softly, squeezing his hand.

“And…”

“And…?”

“Maybe I’m just a little jealous that I’m not one of _your_ True Ayakashi.”

“But you’re something even better, Kun,” you insisted. At his raised eyebrow in disbelief, you said with a wide grin, “My boyfriend, of course.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle, fond smile coming to his lips, “Of course, sweet girl. How could I forget?”

“Exactly, how could you?” You teased as he gently grabbed your chin before pulling you closer and connecting your mouths in soft but meaningful kiss.

“It’s been a long day…” He pulled back to wrap his arms around you, resting his head against yours.

“Yeah,” you agreed, reaching up to pat his cheek.

“Will you stay with me tonight, Y/N?”

“Of course, Kun,” you pecked his temple. “Of course.”

* * *

“You’ve been avoiding me,” a voice caught your attention from behind you, and you cursed under your breath before putting on a greater speed through the crowded halls.

You sensed it before you hit it, but it was too late, and your foot caught on an invisible bump, sending you flying to the ground. Hissing at being nearly trampled underfoot, you wasted no time in scrambling to get back to your feet. But he’d already caught up to you.

Mark grabbed your upper-arm tightly, “Y/N, come on.”

“What the fuck was that for, Mark?” You glared at him, referencing the supernatural way he’d just made you trip.

“Like I said, you’ve been avoiding me. Not sitting next to me in class anymore, coming into class just before it starts and leaving as soon as it ends. I want to know why.”

“You _attacked_ my boyfriend, Mark. Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Sorry for not wanting to hang out with someone who intentionally hurt my boyfriend for no apparent reason.”

The two of you were outside now, and you looked towards the library desperately. You just wanted to study for your finals next week and be done with this semester. And this conversation, as well.

He didn’t reply but kept his iron grip on you.

“Can we do this later, Mark?” You asked, barely on the cusp of being civil. “I have to go study.”

“If you agree that we can talk sometime this week.”

“I’m not agreeing to anything. Let go of me.”

“Hostile, Y/N. Let go of you or what?”

Jerking your arm from his grip, you tried to keep your anger down as you addressed him, “There wasn’t another option.”

You stalked off, keeping your senses attuned to his powers to make sure he wasn’t going to try anything on you then. Thankfully, he didn’t, but you could sense that he wasn’t moving from that spot, watching you walk away. You didn’t relax until you were safely in a private study cubicle in the library, away from pretty much everyone.

Despite the time of day—definitely the middle of the workday—you pulled your phone out to call Kun. You needed some kind of reassurance.

It went to voicemail. Disappointed, you hung up, and right as you had acquired your laptop from your bookbag, your phone lit up with a call. It was Kun. You hastily picked up, “Hi, Kun.”

“Hey, Y/N,” his voice alone was already calming you down. “Is everything okay?”

“Not really,” you admitted, voice wavering slightly.

“What happened? Talk to me.”

“Remember how I told you I’ve been sitting in a different seat in my Lit class, away from Mark? And I haven’t talked to him in like the past month?”

“Yes, I remember. Did he do something to you?”

“He finally caught up to me after class today. Tripped me with his Onmyoji powers and grabbed my arm. I didn’t want to make a supernatural scene in the middle of campus, so I just told him to let me go. He did, but I’m just a little freaked out. I had to tell someone.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Y/N, I wish I could come get you, but I’ve got a lot of work for today and—”

“No, Kun,” you cut off his clearly conflicted ramblings with a gentle smile. “I wasn’t calling you for anything like that, just to talk. I’ve got finals to study for, I had no intention of asking you to come get me, okay? Just wanted to talk to you.”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he breathed out. “I can’t wait to see you tonight.”

“I’m excited too.” You then reminded him, “Seven o-clock at Lenticular.”

“I know the usual patrol time.”

“You’ve only been going on them for a couple weeks, I was just making sure.”

“Mm, sure,” he hummed teasingly. “Alright, I’ve got to go, and I’m sure you’ve got to go, too.”

“I do.”

“See you tonight.”

“See you, Kun,” you echoed with a smile, listening to him hang up.

Time to actually study.

* * *

Pushing open the front door of Lenticular, you were greeted by the sight of most of your friends gathered around a table, at which Sicheng and Jeno were seated, locked in an arm-wrestling competition. Sidling up to Yuta, you watched on with an eyebrow raised.

“Hey, Y/N!” The Kitsune greeted you cheerfully, focused on the competition as well.

“How’d this happen?” You questioned.

“Somehow a somewhat-serious argument about if Mizuchi dragons or Tengus were more powerful got started, and thankfully instead of destroying the café, they settled on arm-wrestling instead.”

“Oh, of course.”

An arm was suddenly draped around your shoulders, and you turned to your other side to see Kun there, still in his clothes from work. He must have come right from there. Usually, he had enough time to change at his apartment beforehand.

You pecked his cheek in greeting before asking, “Late day at work?”

“Yeah, it was,” he rolled his neck. “But it’s fine, I got everything done that I was supposed to get done, _and_ I’m with you now.”

Sicheng and Jeno were still going at it, and you leaned in to whisper into Kun’s ear quietly, “Think you could beat them?”

He snorted, turning to murmur in your ear, “Absolutely. But I wouldn’t want to embarrass them.”

You giggled, gently bumping him with your shoulder as you just basked in the nice moment.

Finally, it came to an end when Yuta reached forward to tickle Sicheng’s neck, making the Mizuchi dragon yelp and lose. Immediately, he descended upon the Kitsune with his wrath, and Yuta took off, causing Sicheng to chase after him in circles around the dining room.

“Guys!” You yelled out to get their attention. “Come on! We need to start our patrols!”

Sicheng begrudgingly gave up his pursuit of Yuta and slowed to a stop between Taeyong and Jungwoo on one side of the table. Yuta squeezed himself between Taeyong and Renjun, throwing his arm around the Nekomata’s shoulders. Taeyong glared at Yuta, but didn’t shake him off as everybody listened to Sicheng. As Sicheng drew his phone from his pocket, you saw Renjun roll his eyes and slide Yuta a handful of cash.

Sicheng cleared his throat before announcing, “Okay, groups for tonight are Johnny and Jeno; Y/N, Kun, and Jungwoo; Yukhei, Renjun, and Taeyong; and me and… _Yuta_.”

At the Mizuchi dragon’s piercing glare at him, Yuta gulped, leaning over to hastily whisper something to Taeyong, but whatever it was, the Nekomata denied with a firm shake of his head and a rather loud declaration that Yuta did this to himself and it was _his_ problem.

Chuckling at poor Yuta’s fate for tonight, you left the café with Kun and Jungwoo, happily chatting with your friend and boyfriend. There weren’t many Wraiths out tonight, something you noted but didn’t find too alarming. The amount usually fluctuated; it was nothing to freak out about yet.

“Did you tell them about what Mark did today, Y/N?” Kun asked, derailing your previous amusing conversation consisting of guessing what Sicheng would be doing to Yuta for the entire hour or so of their patrol.

“No, I only got there right before you did, Kun,” you shook your head, not thinking it to be too important.

Jungwoo looked to you with a tilted head, “Mark did something, Lady Onmyoji?”

“He confronted me about how I’ve been avoiding him for the past month. Ever since he attacked Kun.”

“He _hurt_ you.”

“He _tripped_ me, Kun,” you retorted. “I didn’t even scrape my knee or anything.”

“Why would he do that?” The Tsukumo-gami questioned.

“He said he wanted to talk. I told him to piss off. In nicer words, but the sentiment was there.”

“Maybe you _should_ speak with him, Lady Onmyoji.”

Kun sighed, “I don’t like it… but he might be right.”

“Didn’t you say something about Mark coming into your office to try to recruit Ayakashi for some kind of ritual?”

“Yeah, he wants to use the Wraiths powers and Ayakashi powers to resurrect his dad. It might be worth a shot to talk to him.”

You mused on this for a moment, “Maybe he just misses his dad…”

“Could be worth something to find out.”

“Okay, yeah, I’ll talk to him Wednesday after class.”

“I don’t like the idea of you talking to him alone.”

“I’ll be okay, Kun,” you grabbed his hand to squeeze it reassuringly. “I’ve been training really hard with Jungwoo. And if I need help, I have a whole laundry list of people to call for help.”

“I’m at the top, right?”

“Obviously.”

Then out of nowhere, you froze. You could feel a huge, nearly overwhelming spike in Wraith energy. It felt like there were hundreds of Wraiths all around you, but you couldn’t see a single one, pinpoint a single location of any of them. It hurt your head, and you clutched onto Kun’s arm for support as the sensation rushed through your body like a powerful river through a broken dam. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, the evil seizing up your lungs, and this lack of oxygen only added to the throbbing in your head. This wasn’t as bad as the night Kun activated your powers, but goddamn if it wasn’t hastily climbing up to be a very close second.

Maybe Kun and Jungwoo were talking to you, you thought you heard their voices, but you could only focus on the Wraith energy. It seemed to be the only thing you could clasp onto. When you tried to ignore it to listen to your companions, you felt unconsciousness clawing at your mind, and quickly focused back in on the Wraiths. No, not multiple Wraiths. It didn’t feel like more than—

It was gone.

You blinked hesitantly, warily standing up straight once more and taking a cautious look around.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Kun peered into your face with intense worry.

“Yeah, Kun, I’m okay,” you said, wrapping your arms around his neck to comfort yourself. You needed to ground yourself again, your mind now feeling hazy and blurry. You couldn’t even sense the two Ayakashi with you right now, nor your other friends scattered throughout the city, not even a random Wraith here or there. It was as if your supernatural radio had been blown out like speakers that had music playing through them too loud.

Kun hugged you back firmly, stroking up and down your back with a soothing hand as he murmured, “It’s okay, sweet girl. You’re okay. I’m here.”

“Did you feel that too?” You asked the both of them, but your gaze was focused on Jungwoo, who was just behind Kun.

“Yes, Lady Onmyoji,” the older Ayakashi nodded gravely. “I did.”

“What was it?”

“An intense peak in Wraith energy in the city that seemed to affect you much more than Kun or I.”

You released your hold on Kun, encouraging him to reluctantly let you go, immediately taking your hand in his instead.

“Do you know what caused it?” You didn’t like the grim look on your friend’s face, but you kept pressing, “Or why it did that to me but not you two?”

“I do know the former, and I have a hypothesis about the latter…”

“Care to share, Jungwoo?” Kun interjected harshly, clearly not liking your friend’s roundabout manner of speaking in that moment.

Jungwoo relented, “I will share with you two, however I ask that it not be divulged to the others yet. Our tight bond as a group is powerful, but so is groupthink that can unfortunately come along with it. As shown by our treatment of Kun here when we shared a common negative opinion of him. I sincerely hope it is a similar situation.”

“What’s going on, Jungwoo?”

“The shrine that my brother and I used to live at. It was not just somewhere for me to survive as a hermit, we were the somewhat unofficial guardians of it. Because deep below that shrine lies a very ancient power, one far older than myself or any other Ayakashi alive. It is the source of all Wraiths, the power from which all are created. The power is in a deep slumber, and someone just tried to wake it.”

At your saucer-sized eyes, the Tsukumo-gami was quick to smooth it over, “But they have failed, which is why the Wraith energy dropped once more.”

“Oh my god, we have to go there and stop them!” You exclaimed, but your friend grabbed your forearm before you could fully take off.

“They have _failed_ for now, Lady Onmyoji. A failure at that kind of ritual will have drained the individual’s powers for quite a while. They are no threat until their powers are restored.”

You relaxed again, just a little bit, but you were nervous for a whole other reason as you started putting the pieces together, “Would this be… the same Onmyoji controlling the Wraiths?”

“I am afraid so.”

“And you think that it’s Mark.”

“I’m pretty sure it is,” Kun reentered the conversation. “He told me about wanting to do a ritual to bring his father back. That can be done with the power under the shrine, right?”

“Yes, it can,” Jungwoo confirmed.

“So why did it hit _me_ like that?”

“You are a very powerful Onmyoji, but you still have not had your powers for very long, they are still being fine-tuned. I believe it was just too much of a spike in energy for your new powers.”

“Yeah, I can’t even sense you guys right now.”

“It may take some time for your powers to be tuned in once more, Lady Onmyoji.”

Kun squeezed your hand, offering, “Let’s call it night, Y/N. I’ll take you home.”


	5. [five]

You felt a little guilty. After all, today was one of the rare days that Jaehyun got to do a lecture as a TA, and he seemed _so excited_ about the subject, an Edgar Allan Poe work. You weren’t even concentrating well enough to know the name of the work. Mark hadn’t been in your class that morning, and you hoped it was because he’d gotten a cold or something, and _not_ that he was back at the shrine trying to summon the mega-wraith again. Even if your mind was drifting, you’d usually have taken some cursory notes to distract yourself, but no, your focus was on your phone in your lap, where you were texting Kun from.

[kun: Are you sure you don’t want me there? Work is nowhere near as important as you being safe]

[you: he’s not even in class today]

[kun: Oh, so you’re not talking to him at all today, then?]

[you: no, ten does research in the same building as my chem class, im gonna ask him about where mark is]

[kun: I really don’t like the idea of you talking to the Jorogumo by yourself, we don’t know anything about him]

[you: i know he’s fucking weird, he’s a spider who experiments on spiders in the entomology department]

[kun: Dear god, he sounds like a psychopath]

[you: i’ll be fine, kun, and if im not, youre at the top of my ‘cry for help’ list]

[kun: That’s not as reassuring as I think you meant it to be]

[you: sorry, sorry]

[you: don’t you have super important work to be doing?]

[kun: Unfortunately I have a meeting in a few minutes with my father]

[you: oh good luck with that!]

[kun: Good luck with talking to Ten later, let me know how it goes, okay?]

[you: you’ll be the first person i tell, promise]

[kun: Fine, be safe, I’ll see you later?]

[you: no patrol tonight so we can do dinner or something]

[kun: I’ll cook for you again]

[you: i’d love that]

[kun: Then it’s a date]

[you: it’s a date!]

[kun: Oh, and have you started packing for Greece yet?]

[you: no, im a little busy with studying]

[you: also don’t you have a meeting like right now???]

[kun: Now I do, bye!]

[you: can’t believe i ever thought you were an intimidating serious businessman]

He didn’t read it, and you figured he’d turned his phone off to actually begin his meeting, which you were fine with. He was supposed to be working, not worrying sick about you, or playfully nagging you to pack for your trip. When you looked up from your phone, you saw Jaehyun closing out his powerpoint, and all of your classmates packing up and leaving the classroom. You hurried to do the same, putting away the notebook and pencil you hadn’t even touched after half-assedly writing the date at the top of a fresh sheet. Which was still blank.

Slinging your backpack over your shoulder, you were barely out of your seat when Jaehyun called your name from the front. You detoured to see your friend, nodding politely to your professor seated at his desk in the corner, who had been grading papers the whole time while Jaehyun was lecturing.

“Well? How was it?” Jaehyun asked you hopefully, and you froze.

“Oh, uh, it was great, Jae!” You lied, feeling very guilty now that you were having to fib to your friend. “You’re going to be an awesome professor one day, seriously!”

He was grinning brightly as he tucked his laptop into his shoulder bag, “Thanks, Y/N!”

“Of course,” you smiled back, fingernails tapping along your phone case.

Jaehyun started towards the door, and you joined him, both of you giving your professor a farewell on your way out.

“So how are you and Kun?” Your friend began a new conversation, elbowing you teasingly.

“Oh, we’re really good,” you couldn’t suppress your literally lovestruck grin when you thought of your boyfriend. “After finals next week, we’re going a trip, actually!”

“Where?”

“Greece, for two weeks.”

“ _Wow_ , that sounds awesome, Y/N.”

“Yeah, I’m really excited. I’ve already got a whole list of things that I want to do.”

“I hope you have a lot of fun,” he wished you well sincerely, holding open the door for you to leave the building. “Where are you headed now?”

You jerked your head towards the direction of the library, “Studying in the library. You know, finals and everything.”

“Ah, good luck with that! I’m getting breakfast now.”

“Have fun with that, Jae! I’ll see you around!” You waved goodbye to him as the two of you broke off, him for the dining hall, and you for the library.

“Bye, Y/N!”

* * *

Rushing to be the first person out of your Chemistry lecture, you looked around with sharp eyes, trying to spot Ten before the throngs of students whose classes finished at the same time as yours filled the space. He’d been eating out on the steps before, but there was no guarantee he’d be there again, you hadn’t seen him there since then. Or before then, you realized. Had it been a little ploy to rope you into a conversation after they realized you’d gotten your powers?

You didn’t have time to think about that. Shaking the thought from your mind, you couldn’t see Ten in the main lobby or out front. Not wanting to give up yet, you took a sharp right turn down the hallway you knew contained the entomology department. Your supernatural radio had returned since the Wraith spike short-circuited it for a moment, but it wasn’t as accurate. All you could sense was that an Ayakashi was in your general vicinity, nothing actually helpful.

You tried looking in the windows of rooms you passed by as nonchalantly as possible, not wanting anybody to get weirded out or—god forbid—actually _come out_ and question why you were peering in the windows.

Finally, you peeped your eyes into a window and caught sight of the man you’d been looking for. Right as he went to open the door. Into your face.

You leapt back barely in time, tripping backwards over your own feet, and narrowly avoiding falling to the ground by catching yourself on the wall behind you.

“Oh. It’s you, baby Onmyoji,” Ten acknowledged you abruptly, stopping in his tracks to look at you with a curious eyebrow raised.

Avoiding addressing your little mishap that just happened, you leapt right to your focus, “Hey, Ten, where’s Mark? He wasn’t in class this morning.”

The Jorogumo turned slightly suspicious as he questioned back, “Why?”

“I want to talk to him about some things that have happened recently,” you said vaguely, not sure how much Ten knew, and not knowing if anybody nearby could hear your conversation. “I want to figure out what’s going on with him.”

“He’s at home,” Ten started down the hallways with a quick pace, and you hurried to follow him. “I can take you to him…”

Taking in the fact that he wasn’t wearing his lab coat and his rushed exiting of the building at the same time you’d seen him go back in beforehand, you had a feeling he wasn’t following his typical schedule now.

“I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

“But I have to warn you, he’s in rough shape. He tried to do something stupid the other day and it didn’t go well. Something… you know, supernatural.”

“The spike in Wraith energy,” you stated, watching his features intently.

He grimaced at your mentioning of it, “Yeah, he did something he shouldn’t have. I’m not going to say anything more, you should really talk to him. And don’t worry about your safety or him trying to do anything… he’s much too weak for that.”

“Did he try to summon the mega-wraith under the shrine?”

He seemed very reluctant about whether or not to actually answer you, instead giving you a sidelong glance before shaking his head and repeating, “You should really talk to him.”

* * *

As you followed Ten down the city sidewalks, you texted Kun to give him an update.

[you: hey so i’m going with ten to his and mark’s apartment right now to see mark]

[you: ten says he’s in rough shape, from the summoning probably. too rough to try to do anything to me if he even wanted to]

[kun: What about Ten?]

[you: what do you mean?]

[kun: He’s not too weak to attack you if Mark ordered him to, right? He is Mark’s True Ayakashi, Y/N]

[you: you’re right, but i trust him for now. i think he just wants his friend to be safe]

[you: but here’s their address, just in case. i’ll let you know if i need you here, okay?]

[you: 2234 Duke Pkwy, Apt. 46B]

[kun: Alright, I’ll be right by my phone if you need anything]

[you: thanks, kun]

[kun: Be safe]

[you: i will]

“Making sure your eight million Ayakashi know you’re going into enemy territory?”

You were pretty sure Ten’s statement was meant to be a joke, but his voice was hollow, negating any humor it was meant to hold.

“Uh, something like that,” you admitted, still unsure of how light-hearted this conversation was meant to be. “Kun’s worried, I was just reassuring him.”

“Right, Qian Kun’s your boyfriend.”

“How’d you know that?”

“Mark told me.”

“How’d Mark—wait, never mind. _That._ ”

As soon as you remembered the time Kun had tried to make a business deal with Mark or whatever for him to leave you alone, you couldn’t help but furrow your brow just a bit more and for your free hand to clench into a tiny fist. Having the image of how Kun looked all cut up from the Onmyoji’s talismans flashing in your mind just pissed you off all over again.

Ten nodded, “Yeah. _That._ ”

* * *

You two were silent for the rest of your walk to their apartment until you reached the building. As Ten and you stepped into the elevator, he spoke once more.

“He’s going to say… some things,” he began his preface. “But _please_ , listen to what he’s _saying_ , not just the _words_ he’s using. He’s a good kid that’s doing some dumb things for good reasons.”

“You want me to talk him out of summoning the mega-wraith, right?”

“It’s almost killed him once, and he wants to try it again. He’s only complying with my putting him under house arrest because he can barely walk to the bathroom by himself.”

“Why do you think _I’d_ get through to him and not you?”

“You’re an Onmyoji, like him. I’m just his Ayakashi.”

“Oh.”

The elevators opened to their floor, and right as you got to apartment 46B, Ten stopped you with his hand on the door handle. He sighed before saying, “I just want you to know, if this gets to the point where there’d have to be a fight or something, between him and your crew, I’ll be by his side. I’ll be fighting for him.”

“Even if you don’t agree with him trying to do this,” you stated.

“He’s my Onmyoji, and more than that, he’s my best friend, and he needs me. He won’t say it, but he does.”

Understanding the horribly conflicted position he must be in, you nodded solemnly, “Of course, Ten. I truly hope it doesn’t come to something like that.”

“Me too.”

With that, he pushed the apartment door open, and you followed him in. The apartment was surprisingly tidy for being inhabited by two college boys—well, one college boy and a man of unknown age; Ten might be a lot older than he looked, being an Ayakashi and all—the odd food wrapper or dirty plate here and there, but not that much messier than your own apartment.

“I’m back!” Ten called out into the seemingly empty apartment, and got no response.

He gestured for you to follow him further back into his home. You could barely sense Mark’s Onmyoji wavelength. Even with your own problems with your sensing abilities, he shouldn’t have felt _that weak_. Ten was right, he was _not_ doing well on the supernatural front at that moment.

“He’s been taking a lot of naps,” Ten explained as he came to a stop to knock at one of the three doors in the hallway. “Mark, you up?”

A mumble of some kind came from within, and Ten turned the door handle, “I’m coming in. I brought someone that you should talk to. Or at least listen to.”

With that, he opened the door, revealing Mark’s bedroom to you. The other Onmyoji was lying in bed, tucked under a couple very comfortable looking blankets. His face was flushed red, and you saw that his forehead has a thin sheen of sweat along it. He squinted his eyes open to look at the two of you, immediately coughing when he saw that it was you.

“Why did you bring her here, Ten?” He spit out at his friend.

“You two should talk,” Ten crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at his rather sickly-looking roommate.

“Why would I—” Mark was about to go off on Ten again, but you cut him off sharply.

“Might I remind you that _you’re_ the one who fucking tripped _me_ to try to convince me to talk to you? I’m here, so _talk_ , Mark.”

Mark clenched his jaw, “Ten, can you make me a cup of tea?”

“You hate my tea,” Ten snorted. “Just tell me you want me to leave.”

“Leave.”

“Gladly.”

With Ten out of the room, it was just you and Mark. He let out a deep breath, relaxing back into his pillows again now that the Jorogumo was gone.

“The Wraith spike Monday night, Mark,” you began, holding nothing back. “Was that you trying to summon the power under the shrine?”

Mark narrowed his eyes at you, but answered truthfully nonetheless, “Yes.”

“Why?”

“My father. He was an Onmyoji, and he was killed. I want to bring him back.”

“How did he die?”

He broke his eye contact with you, turning his head away from you to look at his wall, “None of your business.”

“Mark, Ten said you almost killed yourself trying to do the ritual on Monday.”

He was silent.

“It’s too dangerous for you to do. Don’t you understand that?”

“The Jorogumo shouldn’t have brought you here, he should’ve minded his own business.”

“‘ _The Jorogumo’_ is your _friend_ , Ten, and he’s fucking worried about you!”

“That’s not his job!”

“Holy shit, dude, it’s called a relationship, a _friendship_! You two aren’t in a working relationship, you’re literally spiritually connected!”

“What would you know? You’ve been an Onmyoji for a few months.”

You took a deep breath; you weren’t here to yell at his for his apparent disregard for his friendship with Ten.

He spoke up again, “You’re right though…”

You perked up hopefully, but his next words cut right through that hopefulness:

“I can’t summon it _alone_. But you and I can. Together.”

“No, Mark,” you shook your head firmly. “No way. I haven’t been an Onmyoji for long, but I know that summoning someone back from the dead by way of waking a great evil is _not_ a good idea.”

“If you’re not going to help me, then leave.”

“I _am_ trying to help you. I’m trying to help you not do something stupid, like _killing yourself_ , or _summoning a great evil!_ Or both!”

Suddenly, Mark sniffled, and you hadn’t even realized that he’d started tearing up, “I-I miss him, Y/N.”

“Of course you do,” you agreed with a soft voice. “But just because you miss him doesn’t mean you have to do this.”

“Then what am I _supposed_ to do?”

“What we _all_ do when we lose someone, Mark. Be sad, cry, eat junk food, get shitfaced for a night, go to therapy, talk to our friends, watch shitty movies to distract yourself, _heal_ without hurting anybody else. You’re not alone in this, everybody’s lost somebody. We just don’t all try do _this_.”

He bit down on his lip, clearly trying to hold back his tears, “Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“Okay, I’ll try that.”

“Seriously?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

“I’ll leave you to think about it and rest, okay?”

“Take my ritual book,” he stopped you before you could take leave of the room. He nodded towards his desk, “Over there, the big black book. It’s got the ritual for summoning the power under the shrine in it. I don’t have it memorized; I can’t do it without it.”

You gingerly picked the book up and dropped it in your backpack, zipping it back up, “Thank you, Mark.”

He made a noise of acknowledgement, but had already turned over on his side in his bed, his back to you.

“Bye, Mark. Heal well. And I’m here if you ever need someone to talk to, or watch shitty movies with, or eat junk food with, whatever. Alright? I’ll see you around.”

With that final farewell, you left his bedroom, walking back out into the hallway. Ten was in the living room, eyes flicking up to you immediately. Waiting.

“He said he’s going to try grieving his father in a healthier way, and he even gave me the book with the summoning ritual for the mega-wraith in it,” you informed Ten.

Instead of celebrating, or being some kind of relieved, Ten instead demanded, “Double-check the book.”

Cautiously, you took the book back out of your bag, and the Jorogumo came over to flip through it, looking for a specific page. He stopped, letting out a breath of relief, “He actually gave it to you.”

Jabbing his pointer finger to the page, he looked into your eyes with a startling intensity, “When you leave, tear this page out, burn it, and flush the ashes.”

“I will,” you promised, dog-earing the page to find again later before tucking it back into your backpack.

“Thank you for this, by the way.”

You smiled genuinely, having a feeling that Ten wasn’t someone who just threw out ‘thank you’s a lot, “You’re welcome, Ten.”

“I’m sure I’ll see you around, baby Onmyoji,” he walked you to their front door and opened it.

“See you, Ten.”

In the elevator, you texted Kun as promised.

[you: i think i managed to talk mark down from the ritual. i’ll tell you about it tonight]

* * *

In Kun’s penthouse that night, you were at your usual spot sitting atop his kitchen counter, watching him cook.

“So tell me about how it went with Mark,” he prompted you, stirring the contents of the skillet.

“Oh, right, right,” you swung your feet a little. “So I went to his and Ten’s apartment, and honestly… he looked like _shit_ from trying to summon it. Boy could barely sit up in his bed. You were right though, he just wanted to bring his dad back. He even gave me the book with the ritual in it, said he couldn’t do the ritual without it.”

Hopping off the counter, you went over to your overnight bag, where you had stuffed the book in. You had yet to get rid of it like Ten asked, and had planned on doing it here. You opened one of Kun’s drawers, grabbing the lighter you knew was in there.

“If I burned a piece of paper in here, would it set the fire alarm off?” You questioned, flipping through the book until you found the page that Ten had pointed to. You’d gone through the book earlier, tucking away some bits of information here and there: Onmyoji’s Oath, fire manipulation, other things for a rainy day.

You skimmed over the page once more, it was definitely the ritual to summon the thing under the shrine. Even the book didn’t have a proper name for it, it was just called ‘a great evil.’

“Uh, maybe?” Kun cocked an eyebrow as he left the stove to come over to where you were, looking at the book over your shoulder.

“Ten told me to rip it out, burn it, and flush it,” you explained, lifting the page up with a finger to prepare for the first step. Curiously, you looked over the back of the page. It was another ritual, this time to kill the mega-wraith, permanently rid the universe of it.

Your boyfriend had noticed what it was as well, “That might be useful.”

You took your phone out, snapping a picture of the second ritual. Just in case.

With a short inhale of breath, you ripped the page out, all the way next to the spine, “My parents would kill me if they saw me doing this to a book.”

Kun chuckled, watching as you grabbed the lighter, clicking it open to spark the flame. Looking to him for reassurance, you held the paper and the lighter over the sink, touching the flame to the edge of the paper. It immediately caught fire, and you watched the flame travel up until it was too close to your fingers, then you promptly dropped it into the sink. Once it was all ashes, you turned the water on and grabbed the little hose sprayer, making sure it was all down the drain.

“So that’s it, then?” Kun asked, and you knew his apprehension over believing all this to be over. It all felt too… anticlimactic.

“I hope so,” you sighed, moving to put the lighter back in the drawer.

When you turned back around, you spun yourself right into Kun’s arms. He held you closely, and you immediately hugged him back, both your body and mind relaxing.

“You did a good thing today, Y/N,” he murmured, pecking your forehead. “My sweet girl.”

* * *

Lugging your suitcase behind you, you exited your bedroom, excitement coursing through your veins. Taeyong was waiting for you in your living room, his own suitcase packed as well.

“You’ve got everything you need?” You asked him like a worried mother.

“ _I_ can come back if I need something, Yuta’s place is still _here_ ,” he snorted. “ _You_ are going to be on another _continent_. Do _you_ have everything?”

While you and Kun were to be in Greece, Taeyong was going to be staying at Yuta’s apartment. Not because you didn’t trust Taeyong by himself for two weeks in the apartment, but he had admitted that he didn’t want to spend that long alone. Not surprisingly, Yuta had offered up his place for him to stay in, and _very_ surprisingly, the Nekomata had accepted.

“Yeah, I should. I double-checked my list at least five times.”

“And if you forgot anything, Kun can buy you twenty more.”

You gave him a frank look, but it broke into a humorous grin anyway, “You’re right, you’re right.”

Your phone buzzed in your back pocket, and you quickly pulled it out. Kun calling.

“Hey!” You picked up cheerily.

“Hey,” your boyfriend’s voice reached your ear. “I’m just around the corner, you ready to go?”

“Yep, we both are!”

“Great, Yuta texted me his address this morning. We’ll drop Taeyong off then head to the airport.”

“And be in Greece in just a few hours!” You finished the plan excitedly.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “I just pulled up; I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay!”

With that, he hung up, and you did a final cursory scan of your living room area for anything you might be forgetting.

“Kun’s at the building, he’ll be up in like… a minute,” you informed Taeyong, who slung his duffel bag over his shoulder.

Just a few moments, there was a knock at your door, and you grabbed your suitcase before opening the door. Kun was on the other side, bright grin already on his features as he pecked your cheek, “Hey! You two got everything?”

“Yep!” You responded brightly, following him out into the hallway.

Taeyong locked the door behind the three of you, and you all set off for the stairwell.

* * *

“So what are you guys going to do first?” Taeyong asked from the backseat of Kun’s car.

“After settling in at our rental it’ll be fairly late, so we’ll probably just walk around the town and get acquainted, find something to eat,” Kun explained, squeezing your hand that he was holding over the console.

You looked over to him with fondness and giddiness, “The real adventuring starts tomorrow. The Parthenon!”

“Sounds fun.”

“Y/N has a whole alphabetical list of things we’re going to do.”

“Kun would just stay in our rental and laze around town for two weeks if it were his choice.”

“No, not necessarily. I just don’t care exactly _what_ we do, as long I’m with you.”

At a red light, you gave him a lovestruck grin, leaning over to kiss him for a moment. When you pulled back, you heard Taeyong making a gagging sound, but didn’t pay him any mind. Soon, you three were at Yuta’s apartment building, and the Kitsune was standing outside the lobby waiting. He waved to the car, walking up as Taeyong opened the door and Kun popped the trunk. As Taeyong got his bag, you climbed out to give your friend a hug.

“Thanks for this, Yuta,” you said, pulling back from the hug to watch Taeyong struggle momentarily with his things. “He has a key if he needs to go back for anything, uh, some cat food packed, and more in the pantry back home if need be.”

“Y/N…”

“I know, I just feel like a mother leaving her newborn for the first time since giving birth.”

“I’m my own person, Y/N, as you like to remind me,” Taeyong snorted, but threw his arms around you nevertheless. This would be the longest you two had been apart in the year since you’d gotten him, both of you were a little antsy about it.

“I’ll take good care of him, I promise,” Yuta swore, then pointed at the window the driver’s side, which Kun promptly rolled down. “And you better take good care of Y/N.”

“When doesn’t he?” You retorted with some amusement as Kun physically climbed out of the car as well.

“Of course I will, Yuta,” Kun promised, wrapping an arm around your shoulders to pull you into his side.

The Kitsune nodded satisfactorily before turning to the Nekomata, “Alright, ready to go, Taeyong?”

“Yep!” He nodded, white hair flopping around a bit. “Bye Y/N, Kun. Have fun on your trip!”

“Thanks, Yonggie, have fun here! And give the others our goodbyes too, I’m sure you all have plans to drink at Lenticular tonight.”

Yuta grinned mischievously, “You know us too well.”

Taeyong’s eyes widened, and you listened to them as Yuta started guiding him towards the apartment building, “Wait we’re going to be drinking? I thought it was just going to be a dinner.”

Before Yuta could respond, and before you and Kun could start back towards the car, you were nearly knocked off your feet by a considerable spike in Wraith energy. Your supernatural radio had barely just finished recovering from the last one, and you let out a scream with this one, slapping your hands over your ears as if that could help at all. It was stronger than last time, and you fought to even keep your eyes open, seeing that Taeyong and Yuta had ran back over to you, and Kun was currently right by your side, fretting.

“Fuck!” You groaned, opening and closing your jaw in an attempt to relieve the uncomfortable pressure in your head. The sensation was more powerful this time, but thankfully wasn’t as incapacitating.

“Y/N?” You could actually properly distinguish Kun’s voice this time. “Can you hear me, Y/N?”

“Yeah, yeah,” you nodded, finally taking your hands off your ears and standing up. Your head still hurt like a bitch, “Can somebody call the café? And Sicheng? Tell them to meet us at the shrine.”

The spike wasn’t going away this time. It _wasn’t_ a spike, an unsuccessful summoning. It was a new plateau, Mark had succeeded this time, and you had to get to the shrine as soon as possible.

“I’ll call the café,” Yuta took out his phone.

“I’ll call Sicheng,” Taeyong’s was already in his hand.

“I’m going to have Doyoung meet us there as well,” Kun kept a soothing hand on your back as he did so.

You took deep breaths to try to re-center yourself and help block out the mega-wraith frequency. You needed to get back in control of your perceptions, or they’d overtake you like last time. Fumbling your phone from your pocket, you went into your camera roll, to the picture of the killing ritual that you’d taken on a whim. That whim was unfortunately right.

The ritual prefaced that it should be done by a well-trained, powerful Onmyoji with all five of their True Ayakashi or death would be a likely result. You froze, your eyes stuck on the word ‘well-trained.’ You’d been doing proper Onmyoji training for just a few months, there was no way you could be considered ‘well-trained.’ But you were the only hope for getting rid of the great evil that you could now feel reverberating through the very air flowing down from the shrine, getting more powerful by the moment.

Reading further, you busied yourself with mouthing the incantation, memorizing it.

_‘Heed these powers of the Onmyoji! Cleanse the earth trodden upon by this great evil! Repair the disruption wrought by it! Cease its powers for eternity!’_

The three had all hung up, and Kun ushered you towards the car, informing you that they’d all be meeting you at the shrine. Your eyes were still scanning the words, even as the car flew down the streets, took sharp turns, and soon left civilization for the abandoned trails leading towards the shrine. Eventually, you reached a point that the car could no longer go further, and you were ushered back out. When you finally looked up from your phone to watch your step, you noticed the Ayakashi around you were in their battle forms.

Yuta’s black ears and three bushy black tails were out, teeth now noticeably much sharper, all looking to be canines. His sweats were replaced by something similar to an elegant lilac yukata, but with the shoulder and arm pieces of samurai armor over it, those in a dark eggplant color.

Taeyong’s hair was pulled back from his face by some kind of pin between his two white cat ears. The ends of his two white tails poked up from behind his shoulder, and his whole getup had changed as well. A light brown tank top now clothed his torso, intricate white swirls detailed the fabric, and he had a thin gold choker adorning his neck.

Kun—whose battle form you had seen before, but in poorer lighting and with much more panicking happening—had his horns out, obsidian in color. In his hand was his katana, blade glinting in the rays of sunlight that reached it through the tree canopy. Both the scarlet kimono he was wearing, and the black dress shirt underneath hung loosely, exposing much of his chest. Gold accented the tips of the dress shirt collar and threaded along the red fabric in stunning lotus blossom designs.

“I’ve always wondered why my battle form has lotuses on it,” he mused aloud, the realization dawning on you when he came to rest his hand on the back of your neck.

“You don’t choose what your battle form looks like?” You questioned through the swelling of your chest at his sweet words, taking his free hand in yours to begin leading your small group up towards the shrine.

“After the first time an Ayakashi turns into their battle form, they can. I never have, I always liked mine.”

“We get it, you guys are like soulmates or something,” Yuta scoffed from behind you two, accompanied by Taeyong making more gagging noises.

That idea only made a spark of electricity jump along your skin, a distinct blush come to your cheeks, and funny feeling swirl around in your stomach. Kun simply chuckled, squeezing your hand.

Yuta suddenly gasped dramatically and pretended to swoon, “Wait, _four other people_ have the same bond mark as Y/N, does that mean _they’re_ your soulmates too, Kunnie?”

“You know a bond mark is representative of the Onmyoji, not the Ayakashi, right?”

“Oh! You learned me something new today, Kunnie. I _didn’t_ know that.”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Yuta, I’d listen to him, his katana is bigger than you are,” Taeyong warned his friend with some humor in his voice.

Your friends’ banter faded into the background as you read through the ritual again, memorizing the banishing incantation. The wraith sensation was getting more and more overwhelming the closer you got to the shrine, but you continued your deep breathing, forcing it away from your mind as you desperately tried to focus on the words. But your eyes still drifted back to the beginning. A ‘well-trained’ Onmyoji. Which you were not.

When you knew that you were getting closer to the shrine, you kept your eyes peeled. Jungwoo said he and Yukhei had left the shielding cloak over it when they left, but who knows if Mark had done anything to it. When the tip of Kun’s katana he had been wielding in front of you two suddenly disappeared, you knew you were at the edge.

Before you could step through, you heard sounds of people running through the forest behind you, and whipped around just as Johnny, Renjun, Jungwoo, and Yukhei came into view.

“Y/N!” Johnny yelled out, waving an arm covered in inked eyes.

“Hey, guys,” you greeted them back, unable to muster up much cheerfulness in the current situation.

They were all in their battle forms, and rather out of breath.

“Holy shit, did you all run from Lenticular to here?” Yuta asked as Renjun desperately sucked in air.

“Yes,” he panted, glaring at his employer. “Johnny insisted it wasn’t enough of an emergency to hotwire a car.”

“What’s the point of saving the world then going to jail for grand theft auto?” The Domeki argued back.

Jungwoo focused his attention on you, “How are you faring with the new level of Wraith energy, Lady Onmyoji?”

“Fine, as long as I don’t focus on it too much, but I couldn’t sense you guys coming…” you answered absentmindedly. “Anybody know where Sicheng is?”

“He told me he was on his way before we hung up earlier,” Taeyong piped up.

“He wasn’t in Bibiliophile Books when we left,” Johnny added.

“I’m here!” A voice yelled out from much further down the mountain. Looking to Kun for confirmation, he nodded. Sicheng was here.

Sure enough, the Mizuchi dragon came running through the trees. He was in full battle form as well, patches of scales flashing in the small bits of sunlight, barely out of breath himself as he slowed to a stop with the rest of you guys. Interestingly, another Ayakashi was with him: Doyoung.

“Uh, _we’re_ here,” Sicheng corrected himself. “Ran into the snow spirit on my way up.”

Doyoung nodded politely to everyone, in his own battle form too and wielding a spear.

“We’re right on the edge of the shrine, correct?” Your friend questioned, receiving nods from you all. “Has anybody gone inside yet?”

“No,” you answered with a shake of your head.

“Alright. Do we have a plan?”

“I have the ritual to kill it, I’m memorizing the incantation now.”

Jungwoo and Yukhei exchanged hesitant glances.

“Lady Onmyoji, I have to inform you of some things before you decide to go through with the ritual…” Jungwoo spoke up.

“Well, we don’t have a lot of time, Jungwoo,” you reminded him shortly.

“I know. But there is a reason that the great evil still exists, despite there having been a ritual to kill it for as long as _I_ can remember. Many Onmyoji have tried and failed to kill it, and each one _died_ in the process. Eventually, we had to seal it away under the shrine because too many Onmyoji who were not ready and not powerful enough were dying.”

You chewed on your lip nervously, feeling Kun’s grip on your hand tighten just slightly.

“What other choice do we have?”

Jungwoo and Yukhei exchanged hesitant glances, “My brother and I could seal it away once more. But…”

“But what?”

To your surprise, it was Yukhei who answered your question, “We would die. We used up most of our power sealing it away the first time. Sealing it away again would cost us our lives. And save all of yours.”

“No,” you said firmly. “No way. That would _definitely_ kill you. I actually have some kind of _chance_ of surviving this ritual.”

“Y/N,” Kun sighed. “I don’t want to tell you to sacrifice your friends, but I can’t have you sacrifice yourself either.”

“You said it yourself, I’m the most powerful Onmyoji in a millennium!”

Johnny interjected, “But you aren’t _trained_ , Y/N.”

“You’re not ready for this at all,” Renjun agreed.

You felt your blood boiling when a hand on your cheek caught your attention. Turning to look at Kun, you could see tears welling up in his eyes, and your anger softened.

His voice was soft, cracking as he was trying to hold his tears back, “It’s not that I don’t think you can do it, I think you _could_. But there’s still the chance of you not coming out of it. And I don’t want you to take that chance. I don’t want the chance of losing my sweet girl. I know it’s your choice, but I’d never live with myself if I didn’t try to convince you otherwise.”

The hand on your cheek numbly slid down your skin, fingertips brushing over the back of your neck, sparking a familiar feeling. Your bond mark. He’d activated your powers once, he was an older Ayakashi, a powerful one. He could do more than activate them, he could channel them, manipulate them.

“I _can_ do this, Kun. With _your_ help,” your voice raised as you hurried to tell them all of your plan. “Kun can channel my powers for me for the ritual, and that in _combination_ with my bonds with all five of my True Ayakashi would be enough to do the ritual, right? An old, powerful Ayakashi channeling the powers of the most powerful Onmyoji in a millennium, who has all five of her True Ayakashi’s powers harnessed as well, some of which are older Ayakashi as well.”

“That has much better odds of success, yes,” Jungwoo agreed, and the others seemed to be coming around to your idea as well.

Except for Sicheng.

He was already shaking his head, “Y/N, I don’t think you should do this.”

You let out a short sigh, trying not to lose your temper with him. you needed the consent of all of your True Ayakashi for this to even have a chance of working.

“Why? Because he’s an Oni?”

Refusing to make eye contact with you, he guiltily looked down at his feet. Rolling your eyes, you grabbed his elbow to drag him further from the group, just a few feet, but it gave you some feeling of minute privacy. Now was _not_ the time for his prejudice.

“Sicheng, please, I need your help. I— Hold on,” you cut yourself off, rushing back over to Kun’s side. He raised his eyebrows questioningly as you leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I love you. Just thought you should be the first to hear it.”

Then you ran back to Sicheng, resuming your same serious tone from before, “Sicheng, please, I love him.”

Your friend crossed and uncrossed him arms uncomfortably, rubbing at his face for a moment before throwing his hands up, “Of course. I apologize. Let’s do this.”

“Fantastic!” You breathed out in relief, rejoining the group to take Kun’s hand back in yours. Looking at each of the Ayakashi around you, you asked, “Ready?”

There was a chorus of ‘ready!’s, all in varying degrees of enthusiasm. But you didn’t let that deter you, pulling on Kun’s hand to lead the way past the cloaking spell.

You expected absolute disaster to be waiting for you beyond the barrier: a hailstorm of fire and brimstone, Wraiths abound, death, destruction, the four horsemen of the apocalypse. But instead, it was eerily silent. Sure, it _felt_ like pure evil was seeping through the air and wrapping itself around your appendages, but nothing looked any different than when Jungwoo and Yukhei still peacefully resided there.

“The altar that the summoning ritual would have been performed at is around the back,” Jungwoo informed you quietly.

“Jungwoo, when I do this… will all the Wraiths in the city be gone too? Since you said its where all the Wraiths get their power from?”

“I do not believe so, Lady Onmyoji. If a mother passes away, her child does not pass as well.”

“Oh.”

Your group moved around the building, towards the back clearing of the shrine. At first, just the altar came into view, a stone slab with worn down carving all around it, dedicated to the deity that the shrine was originally meant for. Then, you saw Mark, crumpled up on the ground, his chest rising up and down heavily. He was at least alive for now. Ten was sitting on the two short steps between the grass and the back of the shrine, his head in his hands, looking rather resigned. And standing in front of Mark was a black humanoid form, its glowing red orbs seemingly focused on the Onmyoji at its feet rather than any of you. Despite it having a distinct outer shape and facial features, the matter that made it up swirled around endlessly, churning. It was definitely the great evil.

Ten’s head suddenly shot up out of his hands, his eyes landing directly on you. They were red, bloodshot, as if he’d been crying.

“I can’t… stop him,” he shook his head, his voice shockingly weak right before he tumbled forward off the steps.

You rushed to help him, Kun moving along with you, and you were sure the others were cautiously taking in your surroundings. You each took an arm to help prop Ten back up, your boyfriend taking it upon himself to let the Jorogumo weakly rest against him.

“Ten, what happened?” You demanded, wholly caught off-guard by the fact that you hadn’t been attacked or even really _acknowledged_ by the mega-wraith.

“He had it memorized, and we came here, and we summoned it. And it’s taking his energy and power. But he told me not to do anything to it. I can’t do anything, other than give him mine…”

You could see Ten getting weaker by the moment. He was keeping Mark alive by draining himself. Mark coughed, and your attention perked over to there. For a split-second, he seemed to be getting better, able to prop himself up on an elbow, but then he collapsed once again. The mega-wraith, on the other hand, didn’t physically change. However it was definitely getting more powerful as every second passed by.

If you didn’t stop the great evil, they’d both be dead in a matter of minutes. You knew it deep in your gut.

“Everyone who won’t be involved in the ritual, guard the great evil,” Sicheng ordered. “It doesn’t seem interested in us now, but I have a feeling it will be very soon.”

Taeyong, Yuta, Yukhei, and Doyoung moved to form a half-circle between the mega-wraith and the remaining seven of you. Reading off your phone screen, you instructed your True Ayakashi to stand at the points of an imaginary pentagram, with you and Kun in the center. You had to start by activating your own individual links with the Ayakashi.

“Sicheng, my friend that I have grown with, lend me your powers.”

The mega-wraith still seemed much more interested in Mark than you.

“Johnny, my supporter since the beginning, lend me your powers.”

The mega-wraith glanced over at you momentarily before focusing back on your Onmyoji classmate.

“Renjun, my friend who will always push me to be my best, lend me your powers.”

The mega-wraith fully turned to watch you, and your friends shifted uneasily in preparation.

“Jeno, my strong accomplice, lend me your powers.”

Doyoung brandished his spear towards the advancing evil, keeping it at bay. It was definitely interested in you now.

“Jungwoo, my gentle friend and wise mentor, lend me your powers.”

The mega-wraith finally lunged at your friends, and you watched them keep it at bay for you. You quickly refocused on your very important task, and stuck your phone out to Kun.

Kun looked at it for a moment before bringing his free hand up to your cheek, thumb stroking tenderly over your skin. He kissed you, short and sweet, but it still made your eyes water when he pulled back to declare, “I love you, Y/L/N Y/N.”

“I love you too, Qian Kun,” you pushed the phone into his hand. “Now do the damn ritual so we can go to Greece together, okay?”

“Okay,” he nodded solemnly and wrapped his fingers around the device.

You planted your feet firmly on the ground and closed your eyes. You could hear the sounds of your friends struggling to hold back the great evil, and a distinct _‘shink!’_ came from right beside you. Kun had sheathed his katana. You figured it was so one hand could hold the phone and the other could be on your bond mark, but instead, you felt his fingers lace through yours. His hand smacked down over your bond mark with just as much stinging force as last time, and you wondered in the back of your mind if that part was really necessary. But the thought was quickly gone from your mind when Kun began the incantation.

“Heed these powers of the Onmyoji! Cleanse the earth trodden upon by this great evil! Repair the disruption wrought by it! Cease its powers for eternity!”

Fire coursed through your veins, scalding every square inch of your insides as it raged through you. White was all you could see behind your eyelids, a single shrill, piercing note the only thing you could hear. You felt like your atoms were being ripped apart and reassembled at the speed of light. Yet at the same time, your head rolled off your neck and across the ground; your fingers and toes grew and stretched and tied themselves into knots, boneless; your heart had been ripped through your chest, leaving your ribcage to now shrink in on your lugs, the pink tissue bulging through the spaces between them as it still inflated and deflated with every breath you took. Except you weren’t getting any oxygen from those breaths.

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, millenniums passed you by. You were definitely dead. Right?

Then you opened your eyes. Outside was so bright, but you could at least tell that you _were_ outside. You took big, gulping breaths, slowly realizing that you were on the ground, cradled in someone’s arms. Kun. Kun’s arms. Then, you felt the lack of evil in the air. The ritual had worked. Your mouth tasted metallic, and you leaned forward to spit on the ground. It was red. From the pain that was starting to register from your body, you guessed that you had bit your tongue during the ritual. Hard. Kun ran a hand up and down your back, and you were barely able to turn yourself to nuzzle into his chest. He held you comfortingly.

Next, you realized that he was speaking.

“You did so good, Y/N. You did it, you killed the great evil. You saved everybody.”

“ _We_ ,” you spluttered out hoarsely.

“Huh?”

“ _We_ saved everybody,” you corrected him.

He chuckled, relief relaxing his features at your ability to still quip, “Right, of course. Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re okay, Y/N.”

Squinting your eyes, you were able to see clearly now that he was crying. With a shaking hand, you brushed futilely at one, “I love you.”

“I love you too, sweet girl,” he pulled you flush against him, hand clutching at the back of your head. “I’m so glad… that I didn’t lose you.”

“It’ll take a lot more than a mega-wraith to get rid of me, Qian Kun.”

“I’m sure it will, Y/N,” another voice joined the conversation, one that you didn’t recognize until an accompanying two fingers tapped the top of your head, and your physical exhaustion was gone. Yuta.

You didn’t want to leave Kun’s arms for pretty much the rest of your life, but you knew that you had one final thing to do. Numbly, you began trying to untangle yourself from Kun, and he helped you out, aiding you in standing up once more. You had enough physical strength thanks to Yuta, but you knew that you wouldn’t be doing any sort of divining for quite some time.

Lumbering over to where Mark was laying on the ground, Ten hovering over him but not looking too much better, you knelt down beside them.

“ _Now_ you’re done, Mark,” you declared sternly.

For a moment, you weren’t sure if he was unconscious—or maybe even dead—until he let out a groan and a mumbled, “Fine.”

“He won’t even be leaving his bed for a while,” Ten pointed out, raising one of the Onmyoji’s arms and letting it go. It limply dropped back to the ground.

“At least not for the next two weeks, alright?” Kun added his own warning. Right, the two of you were to be flying on his private jet, no need to reschedule your entire vacation. You could still go to Greece today.

That wasn’t good enough for you, “I _know_ he won’t, because he’s going to make me a promise. An Onmyoji’s Oath, to be specific.”

“Am I?”

“I just saved yours and your friend’s life after you lied to my face, tried to unleash a power that could destroy our city, and beat up my boyfriend. It’s the _least_ you could do for me,” you growled, not putting up with his petulant child act in that moment.

“Fine, I will. I understand that you can’t trust solely my word after this.”

“You know what happens if you break an Onmyoji’s Oath, right?”

He sat up a little straighter then with the help of Ten, and you could see how rough of a shape he was in, bleeding heavily from both nostrils, gaunt, with the darkest circles you’d ever seen around his eyes. He deadpanned, “Certain death, I’m aware.”

“Fantastic. I just so happen to have a talisman with both our blood on it,” you reached forward to grab a paper talisman that had been sticking out of his back pocket. You spit on it, your saliva still tinged a dark pink.

“That doesn’t have—” You harshly grabbed the back of his head, forcing him to lean over the paper, gravity dripping his blood from his nose onto the stark white paper. Once you’d released him, he glared up at you, “I would have done that willingly, Y/N.”

“I can’t take any chances of you ruining my vacation. Again. Or destroying our city, alright?”

Mark seemed too tired to even be angry, easily giving in and taking a deep breath before beginning his oath, “I swear on the Onmyoji’s Oath that I will not try to summon any great evil again, or endanger myself or others trying to bring my father back, or control Wraiths to do my bidding, and if I break this oath, I will face certain death.”

“I accept this Onmyoji’s Oath that he will not try to summon the great evil under the shrine again, or endanger himself or others trying to bring his father back, or control the Wraiths to do his bidding, and that if he breaks this oath, he will face certain death,” you echoed back his words. Setting the talisman on the ground in front of him for him to take, you let out a sigh of relief, “It’s done.”

“Finally!” Yuta exclaimed, and you could feel the atmosphere of the clearing changing.

Celebratory phrases were being thrown around, spirits were raising, and you smiled.

Back on your feet, you spoke directly to the other Onmyoji, “My offer still stands, Mark. If you need someone to talk to, watch shitty movies with, eat junk food with, whatever, I’m here for you. Except not for a couple weeks, because I’ll be out of the country, okay? When I come back, my offer still stands. That make sense?”

“Yeah, I understand,” Mark looked up at you, the corner of his mouth quirking up just slightly. “Thanks, Y/N.”

“We’re going to rest here for a moment, then I’ll take him home,” Ten informed you.

“My brother and I will stay to make sure you two are alright,” Jungwoo announced, and you looked at him curiously. He stepped forward to take both your hands in his, “I will forever be one of your True Ayakashi, Lady Onmyoji. I will continue to serve you as your Ayakashi, mentor, and friend, whenever you may need me. However, with this threat gone, my brother and I would like to return to the shrine. Our home.”

“Of course, Jungwoo,” you let go of his hands to hug him tightly. “I’ll visit you for tea, just like I said I would. Once a week sound good?”

“It sounds lovely, Lady Onmyoji.”

“We’ll start as soon as I get back from vacation, then,” you patted his back before releasing him and turning to his brother, who was just behind him. “Thank you, Yukhei, for your help through all of this as well.”

“I’m glad you succeeded, Onmyoji,” he nodded to you.

They both headed for the shrine, their yukatas not changing. Perhaps that was a more comfortable form for them than the modern-day clothes.

Then you had barely turned when you were knocked into by Taeyong, who was practically vibrating. Either with worry, terror, or excitement. Or maybe all three. He clung to you, “You’re okay! That thing was so scary, Y/N! And you got rid of it!”

“Yeah, it’s gone now, Yonggie,” you hugged him back, reaching up to ruffle up his hair between his ears. “Thank you for helping to protect me, Taeyong.”

He froze at this, and when you drew back, you could see his chest underneath his plain white t-shirt puffing up with pride, “Uh, you’re welcome! For protecting you.”

With a giggle, you turned away only to be enveloped in a group hug consisting of Yuta and Johnny back in their true forms, both of them seemingly fighting over who would muss up your hair more, leaving you laughing with a wide grin splitting your cheeks open. Jeno was just off to the side, his wings folded up behind his back, but wearing his comfortable athleisure again. Renjun was beside him, the Satori making sure to stay away from the massive human contact zone you were in. He had half a smile on his face, “So you weren’t so useless after all.”

“Still stupid though,” Jeno added.

“Still stupid,” Renjun agreed.

“Thanks, guys,” you managed to retort between giggles.

You finally broke away from that mess and made your way over to Sicheng, who was still warily in his battle form. With no hesitation, you flung your arms around his neck, “Thank you, Sicheng. I know you made a lot of personal sacrifices along the way to help me. And I thank you for that, and for opening your mind as well.”

“Don’t act like you’re never going to see me again,” he retorted, patting your back. “We’re still friends, I still work in your parents’ shop, we’re still _spiritually connected_ , for fuck’s sake.” He flicked the back of your neck, and you pulled back with a pout on your face as his voice softened for just a moment, “You’re welcome, Y/N. And thank you, for forcing me to open my mind and realize the truth of my own past. It’s helped me… move on.”

“I’m glad, Sicheng. I’ll see you in a couple weeks, then.”

“Of course.”

Letting him go, you bounded over to the edge of the clearing where Kun and Doyoung were. Doyoung was out of his battle form, once more back in a formal suit. You tucked yourself under Kun’s arm—which was still clothed in red and black—as your boyfriend finished up whatever he had just been saying. Doyoung nodded, and the two of them were silent.

You took this opportunity to say, “Thanks for your help, Doyoung.”

His icy gaze locked on you, and you swore it might have warmed for just a moment as he said, “You’re welcome, Y/N.”

“So are you headed back to the office, then, Doyoung?”

“ _Somebody_ has to make sure Wong Kunhang actually works while I’m out,” Kun said pointedly, and you lightly elbowed his side.

“You know Kunhang does his best and is fucking terrified of you, right?”

“Then the sheer thought of me should do the trick. Doyoung, you know what to do.”

“Yes, sir, I do,” the assistant nodded his head. “I’ll be off then. Have a good trip.”

After the two of you gave him your thanks and farewells, you looked back to your other friends. Jungwoo was bringing out a tray of tea to Mark and Ten—surely spiked with some kind of healing remedy—while his brother sat some distance away, watching them as he tinkered. Yuta, Taeyong, Johnny, Jeno, and Renjun seemed to be about ready to leave together en masse.

“Sicheng!” Yuta called out to the lonely Mizuchi dragon. “Johnny’s feeding us all at Lenticular, you coming?”

“Oh, sure,” his gi turned back into his modern clothes and his scales faded into skin as he accepted, joining their group.

He was looking at you and Kun with his ocean blue eyes as the group started passing you by. Yuta slung an arm around his shoulder, “ _The soulmates_ aren’t invited, they’re going off on their _romantic getaway_ now.”

Sicheng’s eyes were brown as he uttered, “Ah, I see.”

With a fond smile on your lips, you waved to them, “Bye guys! See you when we get back!”

“Bye, everybody!” Kun waved to them as well.

They let out a dissonant chorus of goodbyes, good lucks, farewells, and a couple sexual innuendoes before disappearing around the front of the building. You leaned into Kun’s side, feeling a huge weight being lifted off your shoulders, a weight you’d been carrying ever since you’d learned of Ayakashi.

Then a phone rang.

Kun’s battle clothes turned back into his casual clothes as he then rushed to dig his phone out of his back pocket, frowning as he picked it up, “Hello?”

You couldn’t hear the voice on the other end, but your eyebrows shot up as you listened to Kun’s side, “Yes, this is he… That’s wonderful, Mr. Y/L/N, could you hold for just a moment?”

He brought the phone down from his ear, looking at you incredulously, “Y/N, did you not tell your parents we were dating?”

“No, I did. Why?”

Kun stuck the phone out to you, and you graciously accepted it, bringing it up to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Y/N! You are with Mr. Qian right now?” It was your father, his surprise turning to recognition, “Oh, that’s right, you two are on vacation, correct? Tell Mr. Qian we will hold his book until you return, okay? Have a good time! I love you!”

“I’ll let him know. I love you too, Dad.”

“I’ll hang up now, goodbye!”

“Bye,” you listened to him hang up, then gave your boyfriend his phone back. “He still calls you ‘Mr. Qian’ because you’re still a customer. I’m guessing he found your first edition Don Quixote?”

“Yes, he did.”

“My dad never could disappoint a customer. He’s holding the book for you until we get back in two weeks,” you slipped out from under his arm to lace your fingers with his.

As the two of you started down the mountain, Kun’s horns disappeared in preparation to reenter the human world. He mused, “I was thinking of extending it to three weeks now…”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.”

“Then let’s do it.”

“Let’s do it,” you repeated, accepting your phone that he held out to you. “I’ll let Taeyong know.”

“I’ll let Doyoung know.”

Just few hundred feet from the car, Kun stopped you. You looked at him curiously as he went to cup both of your cheeks. He pressed a gentle, loving kiss to your lips, and you eagerly kissed him back. As usual, he kissed your breath away, and as usual, you could never get enough, pressing yourself against him, wanting to be even closer than was physically possible.

Tilting back for air, you let out a breathy but still genuine, “Hey, I love you.”

Kun rubbed his thumb over your cheek, pecking your lips once, twice, three times before murmuring, “I love you too, sweet girl.”


	6. [epilogue]

Finally, after hours of excruciating pain and suffering with Kun right by your side, the nurse handed you a pink bundle of blankets, “Here she is.”

Accepting her in your arms, you gently moved the blankets away from the baby’s face. And there she was, your daughter, mouth already in a pink pout. You continued brushing some of the blankets away from her forehead, fingers running over smooth fine hair before hitting two bumps. They were two little black horns, barely the length of your fingernail. Looking up at the nurse, she didn’t seem to notice that anything was off, and you then looked at Kun. His eyes were absolutely shining as he looked down at your daughter, his thumb gently tapping the blunt tip of each tiny horn in wonder.

You pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, right between the teeny horns before pecking your husband’s cheek.

“Look at what we made,” he breathed out in awe, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “It’s amazing.”

“ _She’s_ amazing, Kun,” you corrected him teasingly.

“You both are,” he pecked your lips then your daughter’s nose in quick succession.

Her nose wrinkled up in response, and you were barely able to coo over how cute she was before her mouth opened wide and she let out an ear-piercing shriek. In your tired state, you found that you could only laugh in response to the horror spreading across your husband’s face.

“All I did was— but _you_ just—”

“You made her cry, you get to calm her down,” you snickered, placing her into his arms instead.

And so Kun held her close to his chest, gently swaying side to side as he shushed her quietly. He then switched to singing lullabies, the gentle tunes lulling you and your tired body towards sleep as well.

Before you knew it, both you and your daughter had drifted off. Kun looked from the baby’s sleeping face to you in victory before realizing that you were asleep too. He set her down in her incubator before perching himself beside you on your bed, looking at his two sleeping girls with a heart full of love and happiness that he wasn’t sure he’d ever get.

* * *

“Where is she?” Taeyong barreled into your home as soon as you had twisted the door handle.

“Good to see you too, Yong,” you chuckled, making your friend turn to you.

“Sorry, hi, Y/N,” he went to hug you, but it was fleeting, he was practically shaking with excitement.

Yuta was right behind him, the Kitsune giving you a tight hug, “Congrats, Y/N.”

“Thanks, Yuta.”

When you saw that pretty much the rest of your friends were in the hallway, you opened your door even wider for them. Jaemin was as excited as Taeyong, barely affording you a second glance as he looked around for your baby. Johnny, Sicheng, Jungwoo, Mark, and Ten all took the time to properly greet you as well, Renjun, Jeno, Doyoung, and Yukhei simply giving you short hellos, hanging a little further back from the large group.

“Kun’s changing her and she just woke up from a nap and got done eating, so she should be good for you guys,” you announced to them all, noticing with interest that all the Ayakashi were in their human forms. Jaemin and Jaehyun had been told after Kun has proposed, you figured it was finally time to have your best human friends learn about this whole other part of your life, about who your fiancée really was. They were both skeptical until Jeno ever-so-helpfully sprouted wings, Taeyong sprouted ears and tails, and Kun revealed his horns. They were only _slightly_ alarmed.

“Why do you all look normal?” You asked with an eyebrow raised. “Jaemin and Jaehyun know, remember?”

“We don’t want to scare her,” Johnny said, and you chuckled.

Kun had finally emerged from the nursery, your daughter swaddled in his arms. Your chest swelled with love as you looked at the two of them.

“Oh, she won’t be scared, I promise,” you assured them as Kun came to stand beside you. Pulling the blanket away from her face, the reveal of her two little horns made half the men with you audibly gasp and the other half squeal.

“She’s perfect,” Taeyong breathed out in awe, anxiously wiggling his fingers. “Can I hold her?”

“Of course,” Kun gently transferred your daughter into the Nekomata’s arms. “Make sure you support her head.”

The white-haired man did as he was told, gingerly holding her. You briefly thought back to all of Taeyong’s previously clumsiness in his human form, and worry flashed across your mind. You saw that his ears and tails were out, and as you looked around, all of your Ayakashi friends had relaxed into their true forms.

Your daughter’s eyes were open, mouth widening to let out a delighted giggle as she spotted Taeyong’s cat ears. They twitched as he stared down in her, as entranced as she was.

“Alright, don’t hog her,” Jaemin demanded, suddenly at the Nekomata’s side. “My turn.”

“My daughter isn’t a toy,” you scoffed out, watching nervously as Taeyong passed her over to the human.

Now confident that she was in more stable arms, you retreated to Kun’s side, content to just watch all your friends coo over your admittedly adorable kid. Kun rested his arm on your shoulders, and you wrapped both of yours around his waist.

His mouth was right beside your ear as he whispered, “I’m so glad Taeyong isn’t holding her anymore. I didn’t want to be rude when he asked but—”

“He’s incredibly clumsy when he’s not a cat, I know,” you murmured back. “All I could picture was him tripping and accidentally throwing her across the room like that vase he and Yuta got us as a housewarming gift.”

“Well, I definitely trust Johnny,” Kun referenced the Domeki who was now holding her. “His hands are bigger than her head.”

“Perfect for baby-holding, I agree.”

“Do you want to hold her, Renjun?” Johnny asked the Satori, holding her out in his direction.

The waiter froze, different-colored eyes glued on the small bundle of blankets. He looked more terrified of a baby than he ever had of Wraiths.

“She’s in a bunch of blankets. Besides, babies don’t really think yet, right?” The Domeki provided his justification. “Even if they can, there’s not going to be anything bad in there. Come on.”

Hesitantly, Renjun extended his hands, uncomfortably accepting your daughter. He’d clearly never held a baby in his life, but he eventually got her in a somewhat comfortable position for both of them. Everyone was watching him expectantly. With an eye roll, he pressed the back of his hand gently to her forehead. Immediately, he withdrew it, eyes wide and face alarmed.

“Someone take her please,” he whispered hoarsely, holding her out to nobody in particular.

Jaehyun was quick to accept her, and you looked at the Satori with great concern.

“What, Renjun? What’s wrong?”

“She doesn’t have an internal voice yet, which makes sense, so all I got was images… of what she was thinking.”

“What was she thinking about?”

“The meal she just had.”

Your own eyes grew to the size of dinnerplates, arms instinctively crossing over your chest—her meal source.

“Oh my god.”

Yuta and Ten were both snickering at this misfortune, and Renjun’s eyes were turned downward. You had an inkling that you might never make eye contact with him again.

While Sicheng held her with one arm, he was also entertaining her by manipulating water above her into various shapes, and she watched in absolute awe. When it was Ten’s turn, the Jorogumo suspended a few strands of glowing purple webs above her head that she was also utterly transfixed by. Mark simply tapped her tiny horns before passing her off to Yuta. The Kitsune’s fox ears were just as interesting to her as Taeyong’s cat ears had been, and Jeno’s wings after that. Jungwoo sang a small melody to her and even Yukhei’s hard features softened as he looked down at her.

Jungwoo looked to the snow spirit, “Doyoung?”

But he shook his head, “My hands are much too cold to hold her. I would give her hypothermia in a matter of seconds.”

“Of course.”

Finally, she was back in your arms, and you pecked her nose, making her giggle. Taeyong was right, she was absolutely perfect.

“You two look like shit, by the way,” Jeno informed you, flopping down onto one of your couches.

“New baby, no sleep,” you retorted, sitting down as well.

The rather large group settled down in various spots in your living room, and your daughter ended up back in Jaemin’s arms, her little hand curled around one of his fingers. Taeyong wasn’t far, gently stroking her fine hair away from her face.

“So, when’s the first night without the baby?” Johnny asked sympathetically. “Leaving her with the grandparents for a night, getting a full night’s sleep again?”

You found yourself frowning, chest hurting at the thought. You could barely stand when you went to the grocery store by yourself for an hour yesterday and left her home with Kun.

“We’re not at that stage yet, still very much attached to her,” Kun spoke up for you, rubbing your shoulder comfortingly.

“When you do get there, Uncle Johnny and Uncle Renjun will be more than happy to take her off your hands.”

“Speak for yourself, old man,” the Satori scoffed.

She was in Sicheng’s arms then, and you heard him whisper ‘I would kill for you’ to her in a startlingly serious tone, staring directly into her eyes.

Ten was next to him and lightly removed her from the Mizuchi dragon’s grasp, “This is going to be the most well-protected baby ever. The most powerful Onmyoji in a thousand years for a mother, a powerful Oni as a father, and eleven Ayakashi uncles.”

“Hey, I box!” Jaehyun cut in, clearly not liking that he was left out of the Jorogumo’s assessment.

Jaemin added defensively, “I’m not a supernatural being or a boxer, but I would actually die for her.”

“Uh, thanks guys,” you chuckled, happy at how much they already loved her.

Looking over to your husband beside you, you felt your smile grow into a wide, loving grin as you pecked his cheek. Kun smiled back at you, touching your foreheads together for a moment, a wordless exchanging of ‘I love you’s.


End file.
